09 January 2005	Sunday	27 Ziqa'ad 1425

KABUL, Jan 8: Afghan intelligence officials have arrested a supreme court judge for links to the deadly car-bombing of a US security contractor that killed at least nine people last year, a court official said Saturday.

The arrest of the judge, identified as Naqibullah, comes a week after authorities announced the arrest of two Al Qaeda militants in connection with the bombing of the US firm Dyncorp, which trains the Afghan police force and provides President Hamid Karzai's personal bodyguard.

At least nine people, including three Americans, were killed in the Aug 29 car-bomb attack.

Mr Naqibullah, who goes by one name, was arrested after intelligence agents questioned the two other suspects, Supreme Court spokesman Waheed Mujda said.

"The two other suspects who were arrested earlier told security agencies that the judge had links with them," Mujda said.

He said explosives were found in Mr Naqibullah's house during a search operation by intelligence agents.

"The operation took place on the night of Jan 3 and was directed by Afghan intelligence," said NATO peacekeeping force spokesman Lieutenant Commander Ken MacKillop, adding that international troops were not involved.

Mr Naqibullah was serving as head of the Primary Court of Panjshir province, north of Kabul, Mujda added.

Mohammed Haider, a Tajik national, and another man were detained weeks earlier for orchestrating the Dyncorp attack and a suicide bombing in Kabul's Chicken Street shopping area.-AFP