Pakistani agents kill al-Qaida suspect in raid

PAKISTANI agents killed one suspected al-Qaida terrorist in a raid and arrested another, possibly a Syrian and a top al-Qaida operative sought by the United States under a $5 million (€4.2m) reward.

Authorities were investigating if the detained man is Mustafa Setmarian Nasar, believed to be a leading figure in Osama bin Laden's terror network in Europe, a government official said.

Nasar allegedly had a key role in the allegedly had a key role in the 2004 Madrid mass-transit bombings that killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,500, and his name has been linked to the July 7 London bombings.

Last year, Washington announced the reward for information leading to his arrest.

The slain suspect was a Saudi named Shaikh Ali Mohammed al-Salim who had been living with Nasar, an intelligence official said.

A third suspect from a Pakistani militant group allegedly linked to al-Qaida was also captured in the raid this week in Quetta in southwestern Pakistan, said the intelligence official, who is based in Quetta.

Pakistan's information minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, did not identify the suspects: "I can only confirm that there was an encounter, and our security forces arrested one suspected al-Qaida terrorist while another was killed."

Nasar, 47, was born in Syria and has Spanish nationality. The US describes him as an al-Qaida member and former trainer at terrorist camps in Afghanistan who instructed extremists in using poisons and chemicals. It says he is likely to be in Afghanistan or Pakistan.

London's Metropolitan Police and Home Office were unable to offer immediate comment on British interest in Nasar in connection with the July 7 attack, which killed 56 people.

In September 2003, Nasar was among 35 people named in an indictment by a Spanish magistrate for terrorist activities connected to al-Qaida. He was alleged to have close ties with the suspected leader of the terror group's cell in Spain, Syria-born Imad Yarkas.