August 26, 2002	Monday	Jamadi-us-Saani 16,1423

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RIYADH, Aug 25: The new Afghan ambassador in Saudi Arabia, Mohammad Anwar, who presented his credentials to the Saudi foreign minister a few days back, has claimed that Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden is living in the tribal areas of Pakistan. However, he was not so sure about Mulla Omar, the Taliban chief.

“The Pakistani intelligence is looking for them,” he mentioned. Mohammad Anwar is a career diplomat, who has studied in Kabul, India and Oxford, was talking to the Saudi daily Okaz after presenting his credentials.

AL QAEDA LINK: The 21 years old Saudi national, Saud Al- Rasheed, wanted by the FBI for his alleged links to the Sept 11 events, has surrendered to the Saudi security agencies, his father told the press yesterday. The Saudi authorities are currently interrogating him.

When the FBI issued a bulletin for the arrest of Saud Al- Rasheed last Tuesday, he was vacationing in Egypt. He had left Riyadh for Egypt only three days back. Upon receiving the news, the family asked Saud to immediately return to the Kingdom for the fear of getting arrested while in some other country.

The family denied the FBI accusations against Saud, saying he was a peaceful and social young man and had nothing to do with terror. “He has never held a gun in his life,” his father told the local press.

Saud had gone to Afghanistan to “take part in humanitarian work for his fellow Muslims,” his father, who works for the Saudi Red Crescent Society said. However, he added, “he had returned to the Kingdom long before the Sept 11 attacks”.

Saud manages a small shop in Riyadh. In Washington, law enforcement officials said that Saud’s photo was found in material obtained overseas some time ago and only recently examined by the FBI. However, Saud’s father Abdul Aziz believed that FBI might have got hold of his photograph from a visa application in Pakistan.