Mexico arrests 9/11 suspect

2005-06-22 07:20

Mexico City - Mexico arrested Amer Haykel, a British man of Arab extraction, sought by United States authorities in connection with the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, the Attorney General's office (PGR) said here late Tuesday.

Haykel was arrested in Todo Santos, a town in the northeastern Mexican state of Baja California, officials said.

"The PGR arrested ... Haykel, whom US authorities have linked to extremist groups presumably involved in the September 11 2001 attacks on New York," the office said in a statement.

Officials said Haykel was arrested at the Todo Santos fire department, following "investigative and intelligence work and exchange of information with the US government."

The statement did not explain why Haykel was at the fire station and also failed to include the suspect's age or where his passport was issued, which would confirm his nationality.

"The suspect, who was born in Beirut and speaks fluent Arabic, English, French and Spanish, was turned over to immigration authorities and taken to Mexico City to determine his legal status," the PGR statement said.

On June 15, Pakistani national Arif Ali Durrani was also arrested in Baja California in response to a US warrant on charges he was smuggling anti-aircraft missiles. Durrani was officially repatriated to Pakistan via Los Angeles.

A PGR official told AFP it was "likely" the same system would be used for Haykel, whose repatriation could take place as early as Wednesday.

There have been persistent rumours that Mexico harbours terrorists from Arab extremist groups, but both the foreign ministry and the interior ministry here have always denied them.

- AFP