Arrested terror suspect 'may be linked to London bombings'

Pakistani security agencies are investigating whether one of two al-Qaida suspects they have arrested is a Syrian linked to the July 7 London bombings and believed to be a key figure in Osama bin Laden’s terror network in Europe, it emerged today.

The two suspects were captured this week during a raid on a house in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s south-western Baluchistan province, said an intelligence official.

A senior government official confirmed the arrests and said authorities were investigating whether one of the suspects was Mustafa Setmarian Nasar, alleged to have had a key role in the March 11 2004 Madrid bombings that left 191 people dead and more than 1,500 people injured.

Nasar was born is Syria and also has Spanish nationality. His name has also been linked to the July 7 bombings in London that killed 52 people.

There was no information about the identity of the second suspect.

Pakistani government spokesmen and the US Embassy said they could not immediately confirm the arrests.

Last year, the US government announced a £2.7m (€4m) reward for information leading to the capture of Nasar, also known as Abu Musab al-Suri.

The US Justice Department’s Rewards for Justice website describes Nasar as an al-Qaida member and former trainer at terrorist camps in Afghanistan who helped teach extremists to use poisons and chemicals. It also says he is likely to be in Afghanistan or Pakistan.