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Official: US Forces Detain Al-Qaida Operative

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Abu Anas al-Liby
Abu Anas al-Liby
American troops assisted by F.B.I. and C.I.A. agents have captured Abu Anas al-Libi, a long-sought al-Qaida operative indicted in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, an official said on Saturday, October 5. He is also known as Abdul Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai,

“As the result of a US counterterrorism operation, Abu Anas al-Libi is currently lawfully detained by the US military in a secure location outside of Libya,” Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a statement.

The operation to capture the suspect, known as Abu Anas al-Libi, took place with the knowledge of the Libyan government, a US official told CNN.

In Tripoli, a source close to Libi told AFP he had been “kidnapped close to his home after dawn prayers by a group of armed men.”

Libyan security services said they were unaware of any kidnapping or arrest of the man, however, INN reported that on Sunday, October 6, Libya’s interim government demanded an explanation from the US for what it called the “kidnapping” of a Libyan citizen.

The raid coincided with a Navy SEAL attack on the seaside villa of an Al Shabaab leader in Somalia. That raid failed to capture the senior Islamist terrorist, nor was it clear if he had been killed – although several Al Shabaab members were, according to an official.

The US government had put a reward of up to $5 million on Libi, who is on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list and was born under the name Nazih Abdul Hamed Al-Raghie.

He was indicted in the US District Court in New York for allegedly playing a key role in the August 7, 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi.

The bombings left more than 200 people dead.

His capture ends a 15-year manhunt for a key al-Qaida operative.

It also paves the way for Libi, 49, to be brought to the United States to face trial.

“As soon as it heard the reports, the Libyan government contacted the United States authorities to demand an explanation” for “the kidnapping of a Libyan citizen,” the government said in a statement.

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