Quote:
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistani commandos nabbed a senior al-Qaida leader, described by U.S. officials as the group's No. 3 operative, after a shootout at one of his barren hideouts. Jubilant Pakistani officials said Wednesday his arrest would help in the hunt for
Osama bin Laden.
President Bush hailed the capture of Abu Farraj al-Libbi, al-Qaida's alleged operational planner, as a "critical victory" that "removes a dangerous enemy who is a direct threat to America and for those who love freedom" — although al-Libbi is not on the
FBI's list of most-wanted terrorists.
Al-Libbi, a native of Libya who's thought to use at least five aliases, is believed responsible for planning attacks in the United States, a U.S. counterterrorism official said.
U.S. officials described the arrest as the greatest blow to al-Qaida in more than two years. Al-Libbi is a confidant of bin Laden and was behind only Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahri and the al-Qaida chief himself in the terror organization's hierarchy, they said.
Al-Libbi was also Pakistan's most-wanted man, the main suspect behind two 2003 assassination attempts against President Gen. Pervez Musharraf — and is likely to face the death penalty in Pakistan if convicted.
Source: Yahoo News
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And down goes another terrorist.