Abu Faraj al-Libbi Captured

Today, Pakistani authorities announced the capture of the third-ranking leader of al-Qaeda, a native Libyan named Abu Faraj al-Libbi (alias Dr. Taufeeq). Al-Libbi, along with five other foreign al-Qaeda operatives, was captured following a shootout in the village of Fatami in northwestern Pakistan. Authorities had long been searching for al-Libbi-- Pakistan had posted a reward of 20 million rupees (approximately $333,333) for his arrest and the United States also offered a 5 million dollar reward.

Al-Libbi is commonly described as the third in command of the al-Qaeda network, following Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. Al-Libbi took over al-Qaeda operations in Pakistan and assumed the position of his leadership rank in al-Qaeda after the capture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in March 2003. Al-Libbi is considered the mastermind behind the two failed attempts to assassinate Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in December 2003. Schooled in the Afgahn terrorist training camps in Afghanistan, al-Libbi was said to have been in touch with a network of militants across Pakistan, and is believed to have been receiving instructions directly from bin Laden.

Al-Libbi was among six suspects identified as Pakistan's "Most Wanted Terrorists" in a poster campaign in 2004. One of the other six “Most Wanted Terrorists” was Amjad Hussain Farooqi, an al-Qaeda operative and recruiter who was killed by Pakistani forces last September. Farooqi was an associate of al-Libbi’s who had been involved in the plots to kill Musharraf as well as the 2002 abduction and beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.