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. -News for Sun. 31 March & Mon. 01 April 2002


US Confirms Custody of Senior al-Qaida Commander

VOA News
1 Apr 2002 19:55 UTC
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U.S. officials have told CNN Television that Abu Zubaydah - a top commander of the al-Qaida terrorist network - is in U.S. custody in Pakistan. 

U.S. media reports say he was captured during police raids Thursday in Pakistan's Punjab province. They say American intelligence discovered the hideout of Mr. Zubaydah and Pakistani police carried out the raids with FBI and CIA agents standing by. 

The reports say Mr. Zubaydah was shot and wounded in the thigh as he tried to escape the raid. 

The reports say now U.S. investigators will question him about any terrorist attacks that may be in the planning stages. 

But at a briefing in Washington, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld declined to comment on whether Mr. Zubaydah is in U.S. custody. And the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad denied on Monday that the raids were carried out with the U.S. intelligence help. 

Mr. Zubaydah is the highest-ranking al-Qaida leader arrested since the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. 

Officials describe him as one of Osama bin Laden's chief attack planners. They believe he was behind failed plots to bomb Los Angeles International Airport and a hotel in Jordan frequently used by Americans. 

Some information for this report provided by AP.

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