Tehran, Oct 26: Iran said today it would not
reveal the names of suspected top members of the Al-Qaeda
network detained here, adding that a list of names it had
given to the UN only covered members of the group already
extradited by the islamic republic.
"Regarding the people who are in Iran, the islamic
republic prefers not to disclose their names because of the
security issues," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi
told reporters.
When asked if some of the detainees could be classed
as high-ranking -- confirmed several months ago by other
officials -- Asefi replied that "what I know is that there
are a number."
Yesterday, state media reported that Iran had finally
revealed to the UN security council the names of scores of
suspected Al-Qaeda members in its custody.
A report to the council identified 78 suspected
members of the islamic militant network who Iran says have
already been extradited to their countries of origin, the
official Irna news agency said.
Bureau Report
