Libyan al Qaeda suspect al-Libi arrives in NY
Abu Anas al-Libi, a Libyan al Qaeda suspect captured during a raid by US special forces on October 5, has arrived in New York. He is awaiting trial on charges linked to his alleged role in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Africa.
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A Libyan al Qaeda suspect known as Abu Anas al-Libi, who was held and interrogated for a week aboard a US warship, is now in New York awaiting trial on terrorism charges, US officials said on Monday.
Al-Libi, whose full name is Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, used to be on the FBI’s list of most wanted terrorists, and has been under federal indictment in New York for more than a decade.
He is due to stand trial over whether he helped carry out surveillance for the bombings of US embassies in Africa in 1998.
Al-Libi was captured during a raid by US special operations forces on October 5.
Al-Libi arrived in New York on Saturday, October 12, and could be in court as early as Tuesday, officials said.
He would be the latest in a string of defendants to face civilian trials under President Barack Obama, who was criticised early in his term for planning to prosecute admitted 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York.
Since then, however, the city has hosted the trial of Ahmed Ghailani, who received a life sentence on a terrorism charge in 2011.
(FRANCE 24 with wires)
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