March 12, 2003	Wednesday	Muharram 8, 1424

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RAWALPINDI, March 11: An Anti-Terrorism Court remanded on Tuesday Mr Aqeel Ahmed Abdul Qudoos, the alleged harbourer of top Al Qaeda ‘operator”, Mr Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, to jail.

The Westridge police produced Mr Aqeel Qudoos before the judge of the ATC No. 2, Mr Safdar Hussain Malik, after the completion of his three days of physical remand.

However, the police did not plead for further custody of the accused before the court, on which the ATC judge sent the accused to Adiala Jail for 14 days. Police maintained that they had completed the investigation and did not need further custody of the accused.

On March 4, the court had remanded the accused to police custody for four days. Earlier, on March 1, intelligence agencies had arrested Mr Qudoos from his Westridge residence for allegedly harbouring top Al Qaeda ‘operator’, Mr Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, and the latter’s Somali aide besides possessing arms.

The police have also registered a case against the accused and his father, Dr Abdul Qudoos, under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 2001, sections 353 and 216 of the PPC, sub-section 13 of section 20 of the Arms Ordinance, 1965, and sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Act.

The court directed the police to produce the challan on March 25.