Pakistan announces the arrest of an Al-Qaeda leader who was a close aide to Bin Laden

The Pakistani authorities announced on Friday the arrest of a prominent Al-Qaeda leader who was a close aide to the organization's leader, Osama bin Laden. Officials said that Pakistani anti-terrorism police arrested Amin al-Haq (an Afghan national) in the city of Gujarat in the state of Punjab in the east of the country after a chase that lasted for years. The authorities reported that Amin al-Haq planned to carry out sabotage activities and sought to target important facilities in the country. The Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department said in a statement, "The arrest of Amin al-Haq constitutes a major victory for the anti-terrorism efforts being made in Pakistan and in the entire world." Amin al-Haq is classified in the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations as an associate of Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda, according to what was stated by the Director of the Counter-Terrorism Department in Punjab, Othman Akram Gonadal, during a press conference. Amin al-Haq's name was included in the United N ations sanctions list of people linked to Al-Qaeda. He is an Afghan national and was accused of working as a financier of Al-Qaeda and supplying weapons to the rebels. Source: National Iraqi News Agency