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Swedish National Detained in Pakistan as al Qaeda

by Barry ORegan | September 21, 2009 at 05:25 am

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Barry Artiste Op/Ed

Swedish Nationals arrested by Pakistan and detained include a 2 year old boy,perhaps the ringleader in all this? Seriously though, if these accusations turn out to be true, it will show in part you never know who is al Qaeda and who is not.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan said Monday it was investigating a group of foreigners -- including a Swedish man once held at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay -- for ties to al Qaeda after they were detained on immigration offences.

Three other Swedes were also detained last month, including a woman and her 2-year-old son, after they entered the country from Iran and headed to North Waziristan -- a lawless, militant-riddled tribal area along the Afghan border -- allegedly to join al Qaeda operatives hiding there, according to a police report obtained last week by The Associated Press.

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israeli.agent

at 05:38 on September 21st, 2009

Poor souls. Looks like they (Swedes..!) lost their way somehow..!

The group was seized Aug. 28 on the outskirts of Dera Ghazi Khan town in Punjab province. They all entered Pakistan illegally, Malik said.

'Two of them have previously been linked to al-Qaeda,' he said. 'Obviously, we are treating them following all human rights rules, but they are under investigation.'

The group was wearing burqas - the all-encompassing garment worn by Muslim women - when they were stopped by police.

One of the Swedes detained, Mehdi-Muhammed Ghezali, was previously held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but was released in 2004. Ghezali, in his 30s, was part of a group of 156 suspected al-Qaida fighters captured in 2001 by Pakistani authorities while fleeing Afghanistan's Tora Bora mountains.

He has denied ties to al-Qaeda and said he was in the region only to learn more about Islam.

Over to Sweden now..! Humanitarian considerations, freedom of expression etc..

.Agent.