Two Al Qaeda suspects held

Published September 27, 2003

PESHAWAR, Sept 26: The law enforcement agencies have arrested two Al Qaeda suspects from an internet cafe in the densely populated area of the city, eyewitnesses and sources told Dawn here on Friday.

They said that a Yemeni in his early 30s, introduced himself as Habib, came to the Net City Internet Cafe in Nishtarabad locality at 10:55 am and started chatting with someone through Yahoo service at one of the computer terminals.

After five minutes of his arrival, six personnel of security agency in civilian clothes also entered the cafe and occupied the computer terminals adjacent to Habib, they said.

At 11:20, an Afghan in his mid-20s came to meet Habib, but the security agency personnel overpowered them immediately when they were embracing each other. Witnesses said that Habib tried to resist and pulled out his pistol, but he and the Afghan were beaten by the security men and were forced to remain silent.

The security agency personnel tied their feet and hands, and blindfolded and then bundled them into two vehicles, witnesses said. Sources said that the real name of Habib, was Khalid, and he like other Al Qaeda suspects used several names.

Habib was speaking fluent Pashto, while another suspect spoke to the security men in Urdu. “What is my fault,” said the suspect in Urdu when he was grabbed by the law enforcement agency personnel.

Using the code words through the Yahoo messenger, Khalid alias Habib in one of his messages wrote to the recipient, “I am with my mother, come early as we will go to a village,” an Internet cafe employee told Dawn.

Habib also left his slippers at the cafe during the scuffle.

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