U.S. Skeptical of Rehman Arrest Reports
EmailA senior U.S. official says the U.S. government cannot confirm accounts by Pakistani police that a senior al Qaeda commander is in custody there. The government remains skeptical over the reports regarding the arrest of Matiur Rehman, who was one of Pakistan’s most wanted men. But a senior European intelligence official confirms to ABC News that Rehman is in custody, as have Pakistani police. Police in Bawalpur told ABC News that Rehman was taken into custody in the southern Punjab city, which is the same town where alleged London plot ringleader Rashid Rauf was arrested last week. ABC News also saw a copy of the police report on Rehman, with an attached copy of his photo. The BBC also reported, citing British intelligence sources, that Rehman is in custody in Pakistan.
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What? The news media got something wrong? I’m shocked.
Posted by: Mike | August 17, 2006, 5:04 pm 5:04 pm
Birds of a feather. This guy will disappear into the woodwork.
Posted by: KeyKots | August 17, 2006, 5:11 pm 5:11 pm
Today’s big headlines seem to have developed a habit of refuting yesterday’s.
Just what everyone needs more of: misinformation, fear and knee-jerk speculation passing as factual news.
Posted by: BB | August 18, 2006, 2:13 am 2:13 am
Who is Abdul Hadi al-Iraqi?
Abdul Hadi al-Iraqi, listed by Iraqi officials as a native of Mosul, was recently named #29 on Iraq’s “Most Wanted” list.
According told NEWSWEEK magazine’s intelligence sources (and at least one of the journalists involved in the story was detained by Pakistani officials) and other reports, al-Iraqi is one of Osama bin Laden’s top global deputies (challenging the notion that Iraqis have not held prominent positions in al-Qaeda), personally chosen by bin Laden to monitor al-Qaeda operations in Iraq. His duties have connected him to numerous attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan and found him shuttling information between al-Qaeda’s branch in Iraq and remaining leadership in the Afghanistan/Pakistan borderland.
What is also noteworthy is al-Iraqi’s background in Saddam Hussein’s Army (pointed out to this site by Laurie Mylroie). During his military service over a decade ago, al-Iraqi worked his way up to the rank of Major before moving to Afghanistan to fight “jihad” against the occupying Soviet Union. This is not to assert that al-Iraqi maintained contact with Iraqi officials over the past decade (though many other Intelligence and Military officers from Saddam Hussein’s regime, who were later found to be assisting al Qaeda, reportedly did) but his knowledge of the country and contacts within Iraq certainly played a role in al-Iraqi being Osama bin Laden’s personal choice to monitor al Qaeda’s operations in Iraq. al-Iraqi’s military background likely was of great use in the terrorist training camp(s) he commanded in Afghanistan. Those camps were destroyed by U.S. forces in late 2001 around the same time that al-Iraqi’s funds were beingfrozen by the United Nations.
The former Iraqi Major’s network may now stretch into Europe, where captured al-Qaeda affiliates have admitted meeting with al-Iraqi and other top al-Qaeda leaders. According to Pakistani officials, Zeeshan Siddique, arrested for preparing terrorist attacks (suicide bombing) and membership to al-Qaeda, told his interrogators that Abdul Hadi al-Iraqi was among the remaining al-Qaeda leadership still provoking attacks with whom he had met while traveling the Afghanistan/Pakistan borderland.
Posted by: Troy Fox | August 18, 2006, 9:44 am 9:44 am