Jordan says arrested al-Qaida is Iraqi
Jordan identified the arrested al-Qaida in Iraq official today as a top lieutenant of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was lured to the kingdom to be arrested there.
The Iraqi, Ziad Khalaf Raja al-Karbouly, was detained by Jordanian intelligence agents and special anti-terrorism forces, according to a government announcement on Jordanian TV.
It said he worked as a customs clearing agent on Iraq’s border with Jordan, where he handled stolen goods under direct orders from al-Qaida in Iraq leaders.
The prime-time television programme said the man was responsible for several killings and kidnappings of Jordanians and Arabs in neighbouring Iraq.
It also broadcast his confession, in which he admitted to being a member of al Qaida in Iraq and gave details of some attempts to attack Jordanian citizens, including truck drivers on routes between Iraq and the kingdom.
The announcement did not say when the man was arrested and provided little details on the operation that led to his detention.
It showed pictures of masked Jordanian anti-terrorism officials pulling the blindfolded suspect out of a van, apparently upon his arrest in Jordan.
