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US gets al-Qaeda suspects
25/06/2003 15:06 - (SA)
Blantyre - US officials have taken custody of five men suspected of helping funnel money to al-Qaeda and spirited them out of Malawi, a senior Malawian official said on Wednesday.
The men, who were arrested in Malawi on Sunday, were released to US authorities on Tuesday night, the official said on condition of anonymity.
US Embassy spokesperson Robin Diallo declined to comment.
Malawian officials said the men, all foreigners, had been on the CIA's "watch list" since al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for twin 1998 truck bombings at the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
Malawi's government has refused to discuss the allegations against the five in detail, suggesting that to do so would endanger state security.
The transfer of the men to US custody came as a judge ordered prosecutors to either charge the men or release them by Wednesday morning.
Before the deadline was up, the men were flown out of country via Zimbabwe, the official said. Malawian authorities were not told their final destination, the official said.
- AFX
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