WASHINGTON, June 1: The US State Department has said it cannot yet confirm Al Qaeda suspect Abu Faraj Farj Al Libbi has been extradited to the United States. President Pervez Musharraf said on Tuesday Pakistan had handed over the suspect, who is a Libyan citizen, to the Americans. US counter-terrorism agents have identified Al Libbi as Al Qaeda’s third-most important figure.

Asked if he could confirm whether the US had heard from Pakistan Al Libbi was going to be deported, extradited or transferred to the US, the spokesman, Richard Boucher, said: “We saw (President Musharraf’s) comments but the answer is no.” A State Department official, when contacted by Dawn on Wednesday to confirm Al Libbi’s extradition, said: “We still do not know.”

At an earlier briefing, Boucher said he was not aware of any move to bring Al Libbi to the United States. “I don’t think there is a formal process underway at this point.” He said the US authorities were in touch with the Pakistani government about Al Libbi but “where he ultimately ends up for trial or custody remains a question.”

Asked if Washington welcomes President Musharraf’s statement, Boucher said: “I am not going to start speculating on it. We will talk to the Pakistani government about these things first.”