Bio-terror Suspect Held in Pakistan, Handed Over to US Special Forces

A source tells EurasiaNet that Pakistani intelligence agents have handed over to US special forces a Yemeni national who is an expert in microbiology and who is suspected of having links with Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist organization.

According to reports, the hand-over of Mohammed Saeed Qasim, a student at Karachi University's Department of Microbiology, occurred in the early morning of October 26. A Pakistani official was reluctant to discuss the hand-over, saying only that the suspect was "very important for the United States." It is not clear if Qasim's arrest was related to a potential biological weapons threat, or if the suspect was connected to recent anthrax attacks in the United States. However, a Pakistani official suggested that the suspect might have knowledge of possible al Qaeda biological weapons capabilities.

In a related development, two Arab nationals suspected of having close links with Osama bin Laden were also arrested in Pakistan while trying to cross over Pakistani-China borders. Both men, one carrying a Yemeni passport and the other with a Saudi passport, had crossed over to Pakistan from Afghanistan.

Four other foreigners, three Iraqis and one Tajik, were also detained by Pakistan security agents while trying to cross into China's Xinjiang province from the Pakistani side. These men had come to Pakistan a few days earlier from Afghanistan and were also suspected to be supporters of Osama bin Laden. Over the past month, Pakistan has arrested more than two dozen foreigners fleeing Afghanistan who are suspected of having ties to al Qaeda.

Meanwhile, Pakistani officials dismissed a British report that bin Laden may have gained access to nuclear technology. The Times of London claimed October 26 that bin Laden's al-Qaeda network has acquired nuclear materials for possible use in terrorist acts against the West. The report citing intelligence sources said Mr. bin Laden probably obtained nuclear material illegally from Pakistan.

Pakistani officials claim that "such reports appears to be motivated by vested elements with aims to malign Islamabad." Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said his administration has taken steps to ensure that the country's nuclear materials do not fall into the hands of radicals.