WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- A senior leader of the al Qaida terrorist network was being questioned Thursday by U.S. officials following his capture earlier this month at an undisclosed overseas location, a senior administration official said.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Abd al Rahim al Nashiri was apprehended more than a week ago.
Al-Nashiri, believed to be the operations chief for al Qaida in the Persian Gulf, is also thought to be the mastermind of the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole in Aden harbor, Yemen.
He is also believed to be connected to the 1998 bombings of U.S. Embassies in East Africa.
Unidentified government officials last week were reported to have said a senior al Qaida official had been captured, but no other details were given.
On Sunday, Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge said a senior terrorist leader was in custody and giving the United States information. But again, no identification of the detainee was given.
The most senior al Qaida operative in U.S. hands is Abu Zubaydah, the organization's overall operations leader, who was arrested in March in Pakistan.
Al Qaida is blamed for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington that killed nearly 3,000 people. Some of its top leaders, including Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri, are believed to remain alive and at large after escaping U.S. military action in Afghanistan, where they had enjoyed sanctuary.
