U.S. Confirms Capture of Senior Al Qaeda Leader

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, April 03, 2002

U.S. Confirms Capture of Senior Al Qaeda Leader

The White House confirmed on Tuesday that a man captured in Pakistan last week is No. 3 figure of al Qaeda, saying his arrest dealt a serious blow to the terrorist group.

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The White House confirmed on Tuesday that a man captured in Pakistan last week is No. 3 figure of al Qaeda, saying his arrest dealt a serious blow to the terrorist group.

"We believe that one of the individuals captured by Pakistani authorities in recent days is Abu Zubaydah who, as you know, is a key terrorist recruiter and operational planner and member of Osama bin Laden's inner circle," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.

Local media reported on Monday that the Pakistani government had handed Zubaydah over to the United States. He was the most senior al Qaeda member captured since the September 11 attacks.

Zubaydah was arrested in one of several raids by Pakistani authorities in Lahore and Faisalabad, Pakistan, last week. Fleischer said U.S. officers aided in the operations.

Zubaydah was shot three times by the Pakistanis while trying to escape, and is undergoing medical treatment in an undisclosed location, Fleischer said.

U.S. officials said their top concern is getting information out of Zubaydah as quickly as possible. Officials said he hasn't been cooperating so far.

Zubaydah is thought to be a 30-year-old Palestinian and operational commander of al Qaeda. For years, he has been in charge of recruiting, training and travel for al Qaeda and is seen as one of Osama bin Laden's key lieutenants.

His capture would be valuable since he is suspected of continuing to plan further terrorist attacks and of being responsible for establishing al Qaeda cells around the world, U.S. officials said.

Born in Saudi Arabia, Zubaydah speaks English and is considered an expert at disguises, skilled at remaining out of sight for years at a time.

Zubaydah is third on the U.S. most-wanted list of al Qaeda leaders, after Osama Bin Laden and his deputy Ayman Zawahiri.

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