Key Bin Laden deputy 'captured'

The man could join other al-Qaeda suspects at Camp X-Ray

US authorities are holding a man captured in Pakistan who is believed to be a senior member of the al-Qaeda terror network, a US official has said.

The man is thought to be Abu Zubaydah, a key deputy of Osama Bin Laden, the man suspected to have masterminded the 11 September attacks in America.

The individual is now in US custody

Brigadier Javed Iqbal Cheema
Pakistani Interior Ministry official

"It appears that he is Abu Zubaydah but we're not 100% certain of that at this point," the official said speaking on condition of anonymity.

The man was apprehended in an overnight raid on Wednesday when about 60 people, including 29 mostly Arab and Afghans, were arrested by Pakistani and US security forces

"The individual is now in US custody," senior Pakistani Interior Ministry official Brigadier Javed Iqbal Cheema said.

Identification

The official said the man was shot several times by Pakistani security officers as he tried to escape one of the raids, the official said.

He has been receiving medical treatment, but his current condition is unclear.

The hunt for al-Qaeda militants goes on

If the man is Abu Zubaydah as the US authorities believe, he would be the highest ranking member of al-Qaeda to fall into American hands since 11 September.

Investigators used "a variety of means" to confirm the man was Abu Zubaydah, including showing photos to some of his past associates, a US official said.

Abu Zubaydah - also known as Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Husain and Abd Al-Hadi Al-Wahab - serves as Bin Laden's senior field commander.

Foiled plots

He is thought to have been born in Saudi Arabia, but has strong connections with Jordan and Palestinian groups.

Abu Zubaydah has been sentenced to death in Jordan, and is believed to have links to many of al-Qaeda's anti-US operations.

When Bin Laden and his inner circle called for an attack, it was Abu Zubaydah who would contact the cells in the field to conduct them, the US authorities say.

US officials say he organised several attacks on US interests, including the millennium plots to blow up Los Angeles International Airport and a hotel in Jordan frequented by American tourists.

Abu Zubaydah is also alleged to have worked in Pakistan recruiting and vetting al-Qaeda volunteers, arranging their training and assigning them to terrorist cells.