- News>
- World
Al-Qaeda leaders in Iran: Rumsfeld
Washington, May 16: Al-Qaeda leaders are operating from havens like Iran and ungoverned parts of the world, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said today, explaining why Osama bin Laden has not been found nearly two years after his network attacked the United States.
Washington, May 16: Al-Qaeda leaders are operating from havens like Iran and ungoverned parts of the world, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said today, explaining why Osama bin Laden has not been found nearly two years after his network attacked the United States.
Rumsfeld said it was "very hard to find a single individual," in part because they can hide in parts of the world that have no government.
"There are still countries harboring terrorists. I mean, we know there are senior al-Qaeda in Iran," Rumsfeld said.
US and Saudi officials have blamed al-Qaeda for Tuesday night`s suicide attacks on housing compounds in Riyadh that killed 34 people and wounded 194, many of them expatriates working in the kingdom.
Rumsfeld, who has previously accused Iran of giving refuge to al-Qaeda members fleeing Afghanistan, provided no details on which of the group`s leaders are believed to be in Iran.
He noted, however, Iran`s alleged involvement in the 1996 terrorist bombing of the Khobar Towers housing complex in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 US military personnel.
Citing intelligence officials, the Philadelphia inquirer reported today that al-Qaeda figures who have found refuge in Iran include bin Laden`s son Saad and Saif al-Adel, who is wanted in connection with the 1998 bombings of two US embassies in East Africa.
Bureau Report
"There are still countries harboring terrorists. I mean, we know there are senior al-Qaeda in Iran," Rumsfeld said.
US and Saudi officials have blamed al-Qaeda for Tuesday night`s suicide attacks on housing compounds in Riyadh that killed 34 people and wounded 194, many of them expatriates working in the kingdom.
Rumsfeld, who has previously accused Iran of giving refuge to al-Qaeda members fleeing Afghanistan, provided no details on which of the group`s leaders are believed to be in Iran.
He noted, however, Iran`s alleged involvement in the 1996 terrorist bombing of the Khobar Towers housing complex in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 US military personnel.
Citing intelligence officials, the Philadelphia inquirer reported today that al-Qaeda figures who have found refuge in Iran include bin Laden`s son Saad and Saif al-Adel, who is wanted in connection with the 1998 bombings of two US embassies in East Africa.
Bureau Report