Tehran, July 23: Iran said today that it was holding top members of the al-Qaeda terror group. ``A large number of small and big time elements of al-qaeda are in our custody,'' intelligence minister Ali Yunesi told reporters today. He did not name any of the detainees. Iranian officials had earlier acknowledged holding some al-Qaeda figures and said they were interrogating them to determine whether any were among the leaders.
Yunesi declined to comment on media reports that Iran is holding al-Qaeda's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, the group's spokesman Suleiman Abu Ghaith or its security chief Saif al-Adil. Al-Qaeda, which is led by Osama bin Laden, is blamed for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington and suicide bombings in may that targeted foreigners' housing compounds in Saudi Arabia. The United States has accused Iran of harboring operatives of al-Qaeda. U.S. Officials suspect some al-Qaeda figures in Iran played a role in the may 12 suicide bombings in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
Bureau Report