Sunday, Sep 15, 2002
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By B. Muralidhar Reddy
An official statement by the Interior Ministry said law enforcement agencies conducted raids in Karachi to apprehend suspected militants on clues from intelligence agencies. It said that on the nights between Sept. 9-10, and the morning of Sept. 11, the Sindh police conducted raids, as a result of which 12 foreigners had been apprehended and two were killed. "Two out of those arrested are suspected to be high-level Al-Qaeda men and their identity is being confirmed''. The capture of the high-profile Al-Qaeda member was certainly not a planned operation. This is evident from the fact that the initial raid on the apartment involved a small team of police and security agencies. It was only when a grenade was thrown at the party that reinforcements were called in and a three-hour battle ensued. At least one of the security personnel was seriously injured in the operation. Pakistan had not disclosed the identity of the detained on Wednesday. Perhaps, the security agencies were not aware of the nature of their "catch". As international television channels and wire agencies began flashing the news about the capture of Binalshibh, the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, made it a point to issue a statement from New York, congratulating the "excellent work" by the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI). Gen. Musharraf is on his way back at the end of his week-long visit to the U.S. In his statement, Gen. Musharraf pointed out that the operation in Karachi was yet another proof of the nature of co-operation Pakistan was extending to the U.S.-led coalition in the fight against terrorism. He said the issue of terrorism was one of the prominent themes in his 35-minute interaction with the U.S. President, George W. Bush. In Karachi, the Interior Minister, Moinuddin Haider, said the security agencies had detained 10 members of an international terrorist network and disclosed that they were being interrogated. He refuted reports that some of them had been flown out of Pakistan. "Pakistan is a member of the international coalition against terrorism and is committed to fight against terrorists. If any one of the members are wanted in connection with crimes in another country, Pakistan is prepared to consider the request under the relevant international laws'', he said. Gen. Musharraf said in New York that one Egyptian, one Saudi and eight Yemenis were arrested in connection with the raid. Binalshibh (30), was born in Yemen. A correspondent for the Gulf-based Al-Jazeera television channel claimed last week to have interviewed him and another top suspect, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, in Karachi three months ago. Reports from Karachi said nine more suspects were rounded up on Friday from two separate places in Karachi and they could be linked to those captured on Wednesday. The raid was the latest in a concerted manhunt by Pakistani authorities for Al-Qaeda members. If Binalshibh is indeed among the 10 captured, he would be the second major Al-Qaeda leader to be arrested from the soil of Pakistan. A few months ago, in a joint raid with FBI, Pakistan had detained Abu Zubaida from Punjab province. The Interior Ministry has claimed that authorities have detained 402 Al-Qaeda suspects since early this year. It is not known how many of them have been handed over to the U.S.
The 20th hijacker?
New York Times reports: Binalshibh is one of the few people alive who know the inside details of the Sept. 11 plot, according to investigators. His capture, first reported by ABC News, is one of the most significant counter-terrorism successes since the attacks on the U.S., officials said. Binalshibh was a close associate of Mohamed Atta, the man who is considered the leader of the hijacking operation on Sept. 11 and his roommate in Hamburg, Germany. Binalshibh, also known as Ramzi Mohamed Abdellah Omar, is believed by many American investigators to have been the designated 20th hijacker in the attacks. But he was denied visa to enter the U.S. four times, even as other Al-Qaeda operatives slipped into the country and began planning the hijackings. Many investigators believe that after Binalshibh was prevented from entering the U.S., he was to be replaced in the hijacking crews by Zacarias Moussaoui, a French citizen of Moroccan descent. Moussaoui was arrested in August 2001, just weeks before the attacks, after an employee at a flight school in Minnesota where he had been taking lessons grew suspicious and notified the FBI. Binalshibh, in an interview to Al Jazeera, said he was meant to be the 20th hijacker and was disappointed that he failed to obtain a visa to enter the U.S. Binalshibh could prove to be an important source of information about the inner workings of the Sept. 11 plot and could answer many of the unresolved questions about how the attackers put together the operation. Since he is believed to have served as an important link between the hijackers and Al-Qaeda, he may also be able to provide insight into how the group coordinated with the hijacker cells after they had moved to the U.S. Just days before the Sept. 11 attacks, Binalshibh left Germany and dropped out of sight. On Sept. 5, he travelled from Düsseldorf to Madrid and did not return to Germany. He is believed to have eventually fled from Spain to Pakistan.
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