Sunday, March 07, 2010

Adam Gadahn, Al Qaeda Agent from Southern California, Is Arrested in Pakistan

LOS ANGELES TIMES: Gadahn is wanted by the U.S. on charges of treason. In his apparent primary role as propagandist for the terrorist network, Gadahn appeared in videos. The latest praised the accused Fort Hood shooter.

Gadahn appears at left in an undated handout photo, and at right in a video released by Al Qaeda in 2006. Photograph: Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan - Security forces in the southern port city of Karachi have arrested Adam Gadahn, a Southern California native who became a top propagandist for Al Qaeda and is wanted by the U.S. on treason charges, Pakistani intelligence sources in Karachi said Sunday.

The capture of Gadahn becomes the starkest signal yet that Pakistan has decided to ratchet up its cooperation with the U.S. in hunting down Islamic militants. In the last two months, Pakistani security forces have seized several top Afghan Taliban commanders, including the insurgency's second in command, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

Baradar's arrest and the capture of other Taliban leaders also have occurred in Karachi, which increasingly has become a favored sanctuary for Pakistani and Afghan Taliban leaders and militants. Gadahn's arrest took place on the city's outskirts, intelligence sources said, on a highway near where Baradar was believed to have been arrested.

Gadahn, whose most recent video, posted Sunday, praised the U.S. Army major charged with killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, was arrested in a pickup truck with a driver Saturday night, the sources said. The sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on such issues. >>> Alex Rodriguez | Sunday, March 07, 2010

Pakistan: Al-Kaida rächt ihren Sprecher mit Video

20MINUTEN.ch: Der in den USA geborene Al-Kaida-Sprecher Adam Gadahn ist in der pakistanischen Hafenstadt Karachi vom Geheimdienst gefasst worden. Die Kaida veröffentlichte darauf ein Video, in dem Gedahn die Muslime aufruft, den Amoklauf auf der US-Militärbasis in Fort Hood zum Vorbild zu nehmen.

Al-Kaida-Sprecher Adam Gadahn in einem Video, das am 7. März 2010, dem Tag seiner Verhaftung, von Al-Kaida versandt wurde. Bild: 20Minuten.ch

Die Gefangennahme des 31-jährigen Al-Kaida-Sprechers Gadahn erfolgte bereits vor einigen Tagen, wie am Sonntag aus pakistanischen Geheimdienst- und Regierungskreisen verlautete. Die Verhaftung gilt als ein grosser Erfolg des von den USA geführten Kampfs gegen Al Kaida. >>> ddp | Sonntag, 07. März 2010