 A top Iranian official denied allegations that leading terror suspects are hiding out in his country, saying Monday that Iran has arrested nearly 5,000 al-Qaida operatives over the past three years and handed them over to their home countries,
Hasan Rowhani, head of the Supreme National Security Council, Iran's primary security decision-making body, also said Iran had given the names of the detainees to the United Nations.
| Okay, Kofi. Time to disgorge. Get 'em off the hook... |
"I don't think any country could claim superiority over us (in combatting al-Qaida)," he told reporters on a visit to Kuwait. U.S. and foreign intelligence agencies have recently said that mounting evidence gathered over several years has them increasingly convinced that leading terror suspects have been living in Iran. Rowhani denied those allegations, saying his country has been cooperating in combatting terrorism and received praised from international bodies. Iran first said in mid-2003 that it had detained and deported hundreds of al-Qaida suspects and kept some in custody. He said a number of al-Qaida operatives are jailed in Iran for crimes they committed against national security there, but added that those in custody were not wanted internationally. U.S. officials have said Iran refuses to identify the al-Qaida operatives that are still in its custody. |