Pakistani Government States an Al-Qaeda Leader Detained Saturday is still in Pakistan

The Pakistani government asserts that a terrorist, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, detained on Saturday is still in Pakistan. One of the Al-Qaeda leaders is kept near Peshawar, close to the Afghani border, Press Attache of the Pakistani Embassy in Moscow, Ghulam Hazur Badjwa, told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.

The detainee is currently being examined, the diplomat stated. The Pakistani security service suspects that Shaikh Mohammed can be involved in the kidnapping and murder of the American journalist, David Pearl, that happened in Afghanistan last year. Moreover, the Pakistani special services intend to find out the way of Mohammed's illegal penetration to Pakistan.

The information about the detained terrorist is being kept in Pakistan has been confirmed by Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat, Press Secretary to the Pakistani President Rashid Quereshi as well as a Pakistani Foreign Ministry representative.

Khalid Mohammed was detained on Saturday during a joint raid of the Pakistani and American special services. According to US information, this man personally planned and co-ordinated the main details of the September 11th "operation" receiving instructions directly from Osama bin Laden. The USA believes his arrest to be a great achievement in the anti-terrorist drive.