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Al-Qaeda target 'in US hands' after capture in Pakistan
The Scotsman ^ | May 3, 2006 | PAUL GARWOOD

Posted on 05/03/2006 1:07:22 AM PDT by MadIvan

ONE of al-Qaeda's chief idealogues, who has a $5 million bounty on his head and extremist links from Afghanistan to Europe, has been captured in Pakistan and is believed to be in the hands of United States intelligence, it emerged yesterday.

Mustafa Setmarian Nasar, also known as Abu Musab al Surim or simply "The Syrian", has been flown out of the country to an unspecified location after being interrogated by Pakistani and US authorities.

Confirmation of his capture lends further credence to Western intelligence claims that many of al-Qaeda's senior figures are now out of action, either detained or dead. An American official said Nasar, a Syrian-Spanish national, was captured in the south-western city of Quetta in November 2005 in a sting operation in which one person was killed.

The raid apparently took place on 3 November, when Pakistani officials said they had captured two possible al-Qaeda suspects and a third man with ties to a Pakistani extremist group.

Nasar, a leading Islamic ideologue wanted by America and Spain, "may have been turned over to the US" after his capture, the American official said.

Pakistan and the US have long been silent on the status of Nasar, described by the US Justice Department as a former trainer at Osama bin Laden's camps in Afghanistan, who helped teach extremists to use poisons and chemicals before the invasion of Afghanistan after the 11 September, 2001, attacks in the US.

Pakistan has captured more than 750 al-Qaeda suspects and handed them over to US authorities for interrogation. These include al-Qaeda's former No3 leader, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, a key planner of the 11 September attacks, who was arrested in March 2003 during a raid near Islamabad, and his purported replacement, Abu Farraj al-Libbi, who was detained in May 2005 in Pakistan's north-west.

US military officials had no immediate information yesterday on whether Nasar was being held at either the Bagram, Afghanistan or Guantanamo Bay, Cuba prison facilities. But a senior intelligence official in Islamabad said that Nasar had been flown out of Pakistan to an undisclosed destination "some time ago". The official added: "I only know that he is not here. But I do know that Syrian authorities had also requested to get him back."

A biography of the red-haired Nasar was recently removed from the US government's Rewards for Justice website. Justice and State Department officials have declined to say why.

Rohan Gunaratna, a specialist on terroism, said Nasar's capture has dealt a major blow to al-Qaeda and other radical Islamic movements, as he was the "most prolific writer" of jihadi propaganda and held close links with extremists throughout Europe and South Asia. "The ideologues are as equally important as the operational people and he was in close contact with very prominent figures in different countries, particularly the north African region," he said.

In 2004, Nasar released a 1,600-page book titled The International Islamic Resistance Call, which lays out strategies for attacking Islam's enemies. He lists those as "Jews, Americans, British, Russian and any and all of the NATO countries, as well as any country that takes the position of oppressing Islam and Muslims".

Previous reports have linked Nasar, who lived in London and Spain, to the 2004 commuter train bombings in Madrid that killed 191 people, and to the 7 July, 2005 attacks in London that left 56 dead, including the four bombers.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: alqaeda; alqaida; alsuri; capture; jihad; nasar; pakistan; terrorism; terrorists
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Well done.

Regards, Ivan


1 posted on 05/03/2006 1:07:27 AM PDT by MadIvan
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To: Jersey Republican Biker Chick; Laurita; Semper911; lutz; Deetes; Barset; fanfan; LadyofShalott; ...

Ping!


2 posted on 05/03/2006 1:07:56 AM PDT by MadIvan (I aim to misbehave.)
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To: All
ON THE NET...

WTOP.com (AP): Kabul, Afghanistan - "TOP AL-QAIDA LEADER CAPTURED IN PAKISTAN" (Updated (May 2, 2006)

JAMESTOWN.org - Terrorism Focus: "SETMARIAM NASAR: BACKGROUND ON AL-QAEDA'S ARRESTED STRATEGIST" by Stephen Ulph (March 28, 2006)

MIL.no: "THE AL-QAIDA STRATEGIST ABU MUS'AB AL-SURI: A PROFILE" by Brynjar Lia, PhD, Senior Researcher (March 15, 2006) (Note: "Not to be quoted without author's permission") (pdf)

CNN.com: Amman, Jordan - "THE MASTERMIND" by Henry Schuster (March 9, 2006)

THE COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG: "A CHILLING FINAL THREAT FROM ABU MUSAB AL-SURI: 'O' Sleeper Cells, Wake Up Now!'" (December 31, 2005)

OSINT.INTERNET-HAGANAH.US: "SETMARIAM'S WIFE SPEAKS OUT On the pages of asharqalawsat.com" (December 27, 2005)

"www.asharqalawsat.com/details.asp?section=1&article=340381&issue=9891"

"www.asharqalawsat.com/2005/12/27/images/front.340381.jpg"

JIHAD WATCH.org (AP): "TWO SUSPECTED AL-QAEDA FIGURES ARRESTED IN PAKISTAN, SOURCES SAY" (November 3, 2005)

WTOP.com (AP): Quetta, Pakistan - "DETAINEE MAY BE WANTED AL-QAIDA SUSPECT" (Updated November 3, 2005)

SOFIR.org: "AL-QAEDA'S SEARCH FOR NEW FRONTS: INSTRUCTIONS FOR JIHADI ACTIVITY IN EGYPT AND SINAI" by Reuven Paz (October 6, 2005)

"www.e-prism.org/images/PRISM_no_7_vol_3_-_The_new_front_in_Egypt_and_Sinai.pdf"

3 posted on 05/03/2006 1:28:40 AM PDT by Cindy
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To: MadIvan

For God's sakes, don't put any panties on his head. Dick Turban will have a hissy fit.


4 posted on 05/03/2006 1:48:10 AM PDT by Recovering_Democrat ((I am SO glad to no longer be associated with the party of Dependence on Government!))
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To: MadIvan
I hope our guys are buying sodium pentathol wholesale. I'd hate to think of tax dollars being wasted by paing retail price.

Squeeze this dork like a lemon. Then put a bullet in his head, slice off his manhood, stuff it in his backside, fill the hole in the front with the genitals of a razorback hog, and deliver the corpse to his family.

When they're having a jihadi funeral, napalm the lot of them.

L

5 posted on 05/03/2006 2:00:30 AM PDT by Lurker (Anyone who doesn't demand an immediate end to illegal immigration is aiding the flesh trade.)
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To: MadIvan

Pliers, blowtorch, bullet, in that order.


6 posted on 05/03/2006 2:07:10 AM PDT by Lancer_N3502A
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To: MadIvan

While I am glad to see this, why do we need all this information? Surely more could have been gained by keeping this secret, no?


7 posted on 05/03/2006 2:14:27 AM PDT by Personal Responsibility (Amnesia is a train of thought.)
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To: MadIvan
Well done.

I love reading these captive reports. Jihadis worldwide are hearing this too right now.

8 posted on 05/03/2006 2:29:54 AM PDT by rogue yam
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To: MadIvan

In US hands and transported to confinement elsewhere? My God, they probably tapped his phone, too.


9 posted on 05/03/2006 2:33:52 AM PDT by Pusterfuss (Proud member: Minnesotans for Global Warming)
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To: Personal Responsibility
While I am glad to see this, why do we need all this information? Surely more could have been gained by keeping this secret, no?

We've had the terrorist for a while. Our guys got whatever out of him and then decided to announce his capture now. I figure they know pretty much what they're doing.

10 posted on 05/03/2006 2:34:00 AM PDT by rogue yam
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To: MadIvan
'Al-Qaida chief' held in Pakistan Mark Oliver and agencies Thursday November 3, 2005
11 posted on 05/03/2006 2:42:22 AM PDT by Pro-Bush (A nation without borders is not a nation." --President Reagan)
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To: Personal Responsibility

Hi Personal Responsibility.

Even though you didn't ask me that question, I'll take an
early morning stab at answering it. Before I do though, I want you to know that loose lips are not endorsed on FR.

Anyway, it was reported on November 3, 2005 that Nasar was arrested and/or possibly captured. Most of the lame-stream media ignored that, so you could say this was not widely know.

Then the wife gave an interview to a popular news site:

"OSINT.INTERNET-HAGANAH.US: "SETMARIAM'S WIFE SPEAKS OUT On the pages of asharqalawsat.com" (December 27, 2005)"

Meanwhile, analysts and experts explained the importance of Nasar. Again,
not many people were listening.

Well now, that we have him; both ME and US news are reporting on him.

It would have been nice if it was still a secret, but it's not.

And the war on terror goes on.


12 posted on 05/03/2006 2:42:34 AM PDT by Cindy
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To: MadIvan

Paging Ramsey Clark


13 posted on 05/03/2006 2:42:54 AM PDT by Pete'sWife (Dirt is for racing... asphalt is for getting there.)
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To: Pusterfuss

Good morning Pusterfuss.


14 posted on 05/03/2006 2:42:57 AM PDT by Cindy
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To: Personal Responsibility
re :While I am glad to see this, why do we need all this information? Surely more could have been gained by keeping this secret, no?

You are right, the problem is that the American population needs to be informed, to see that we are winning.

These include those on the left, who are criticizing the tactics and strategy.

And those on the right who are criticizing the tactics and strategy.

15 posted on 05/03/2006 2:44:53 AM PDT by tonycavanagh (We got plenty of doomsayers where are the truth sayers)
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To: Lurker
"Squeeze this dork like a lemon. Then put a bullet in his head, slice off his manhood, stuff it in his backside, fill the hole in the front with the genitals of a razorback hog, and deliver the corpse to his family.

When they're having a jihadi funeral, napalm the lot of them."

I am sick to death of you moderates ;)

16 posted on 05/03/2006 2:45:17 AM PDT by muir_redwoods (Free Sirhan Sirhan, after all, the bastard who killed Mary Jo Kopechne is walking around free)
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To: Cindy

Hi Cindy.


17 posted on 05/03/2006 2:45:29 AM PDT by Pusterfuss (Proud member: Minnesotans for Global Warming)
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To: Pusterfuss

A good day today.
Hope your day is going the same way, too.


18 posted on 05/03/2006 2:49:27 AM PDT by Cindy
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To: muir_redwoods
I've really got to be less wishy-washy. Thanks for pointing that up.

I'll try to be a bit more assertive in the future.

L

19 posted on 05/03/2006 2:49:59 AM PDT by Lurker (Anyone who doesn't demand an immediate end to illegal immigration is aiding the flesh trade.)
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To: Cindy
A good day today.
Hope your day is going the same way, too.

It is, thanks.

20 posted on 05/03/2006 2:51:13 AM PDT by Pusterfuss (Proud member: Minnesotans for Global Warming)
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