BBC NEWS | Africa | 'Al-Qaeda' arrest in East Africa

BBC NEWS | Africa | 'Al-Qaeda' arrest in East Africa

'Al-Qaeda' arrest in East Africa
A suspected al-Qaeda member has been detained in the Horn of Africa and transferred to the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, the Pentagon said.

In a statement, it described the man, Abdullahi Sudi Arale, as "an extremely dangerous terror suspect", with links to Islamic forces in Somalia.

It said he was a courier between al-Qaeda in East Africa and Pakistan, smuggling arms to African extremists.

He is the 385th suspect to be held at Guantanamo Bay, the Pentagon said.

"The capture of Abdullahi Sudi Arale exemplifies the genuine threat that the United States and other countries face throughout the world from dangerous extremists," a Pentagon statement read.

The statement went on to allege that he was a leading member of the Union of Islamic Courts.

'Human rights abuses'

The US has launched several strikes on alleged militants in Somalia this year.

The US accuses the Union of Islamic Courts of harbouring al-Qaeda operatives, with some suspected of involvement in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Ethiopian forces backed by the US, supported Somalia's transitional government in ousting the Union of Islamic Courts from the capital, Mogadishu, earlier this year.

The campaign group, Human Rights Watch, says dozens of individuals who fled the fighting in Somalia have been arbitrarily arrested and denied access to lawyers.

It has accused the US, Kenya, Ethiopia and the transitional Somali government of co-operating in a secret detention programme.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/6729015.stm

Published: 2007/06/07 00:07:07 GMT

© BBC MMVII