Libya said Sunday it has asked the United States for “clarifications” regarding the abduction in Tripoli of an al-Qaida leader linked to the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in East Africa, adding that Libyan nationals should be tried in their own country.
The government’s reaction came a day after U.S special forces captured Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, known by his alias Anas al-Libi, in a raid. Al-Libi is on the FBI’s most-wanted list with a $5 million bounty on his head.
In a statement, the government said it “contacted the American authorities and asked it to present clarifications” regarding the al-Libi abduction. It also said it hoped the incident would not impact its strategic relationship with the United States.
Saturday, U.S. Army’s Delta Force, which has responsibility for counterterrorism operations in North Africa, carried out attacks in Somalia and the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
The attacks struck Islamic extremists who played a role in the bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, on August 7, 1998, that killed more than 220 people.
Al-Libi’s capture represents a significant blow to what remains of the core al-Qaida organization once led by Osama bin Laden.
The Pentagon’s chief spokesman George Little said Saturday al-Libi “is currently lawfully detained by the U.S. military in a secure location outside of Libya.” He did not disclose further details.
Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the raids his country conducted would send the message that terrorists “can run but they can’t hide.”
“We hope that this makes clear that the United States of America will never stop in the effort to hold those accountable who conduct acts of terror,” Kerry said, from the Indonesian capital of Bali where he is attending an economic summit.
“Members of al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations literally can run but they can’t hide,” he added.
Kerry vowed the United States would “continue to try to bring people to justice in an appropriate way with hopes that ultimately these kinds of activities against everybody in the world will stop.”
(AP)
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5 Responses
afzer we get clarification on the murder of our ambassador
Yo, Libya, you want clarification?
The bum is a terrorist who killed Americans. The Americans snatched him. He will receive justice.
Now, shut up and color.
Ok, let’s clarify. He’s a murderer. He was caught. let’s hope he’ll pay the price. Anything unclear?
Here is the simple clarification (No need to contact the State Department or Pentagon). You have a top wanted terrorist on your streets living as a free man. This is unacceptable to the US.
If it is still unclear as to why the US must act, then perhaps Libya can explain why the Benghazi killers are still at large and why Libyian weapons are in the hands of every terrorist outfit in the middle east.
President Obama condemned President Bush for these types of activities as they invaded the sovereignty of foreign nations. When Israel does it we hear about how it’s illegal and unhelpful. But when the Obama does it . . .
This hypocrisy is sickening. Where is the UN? Of course if anyone where to complain it would because of him being black. I can’t wait for his term to come to an end.