A Pakistani intelligence official says the suspected French militants including one with family ties to Pakistan were arrested in connection with the Jan. 25 arrest of al Qaida-linked militant Umar Patek of Indonesia.
The Pakistani official said the two French suspects had intended to travel with Patek to Pakistan’s North Waziristan region, where al-Qaida’s top command is based.
A French counterterrorism official confirmed the arrests Thursday on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case. Two suspected extremists from France have been arrested in Pakistan and detained for months after being met at an airport by a man with suspected ties to al Qaeda, officials said on Thursday. The Frenchmen have not been identified publicly and this was the first word of their arrest. The men, including one with family ties to Pakistan, were arrested at a bus stop in Lahore in late January after going there from the airport with a man identified as Tahir Shehzad, a Pakistani intelligence official said. Information from Shehzad led Pakistani agents to Umar Patek, an Indonesian al Qaeda-linked suspect detained on January 25, said the official. The French men had intended to travel with Patek to Pakistan’s North Waziristan region where al Qaeda’s top command is based, he said. The Frenchmen are still in custody, the official said. A French counter-terrorism official confirmed the arrests on Thursday.
