PESHAWAR, Dec 24: The Peshawar High Court on Friday put the NWFP Advocate-General on notice in a habeas corpus petition challenging continuous detention of five alleged suspects of Al Qaeda by the administration of the Khyber Agency.

A single bench of the high court, comprising Justice Shehzad Akber Khan fixed Dec 27 for next hearing. The five detainees, stated to be Afghan refugees, were picked up by officials of an intelligence agency last year and were handed over to the administration of the Khyber Agency in June.

Abdul Bari, brother of detainee Abdul Baqi, filed the plea. The other four detainees are Daud Khan, Noor Muhammad, Mohsin Khan and Ashiq Ali. The petitioner claimed that on June 13, 2003, some officials of an intelligence agency in plainclothes raided the residence of his brother situated in Tajabad, University Road.