Bin Laden’s son-in-law arrested in joint swoop

Published on 08/03/2013 00:00

A SON-in-law of Osama bin Laden who served as al-Qaeda’s spokesman has been arrested in Jordan in an operation led by Jordanian authorities and the FBI, United States government sources have said.

Sources said Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, a militant who had appeared in videos representing al-Qaeda after the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington in 2001 had been picked up in Turkey.

The Turkish government deported him to Jordan, where local authorities and the FBI took custody of him. Initial public confirmation of Abu Ghaith’s capture came from Peter King, a senior Republican member of the House of Representatives ­intelligence committee.

“I commend our CIA and FBI, our allies in Jordan, and President [Barack] Obama for their capture of al-Qaeda spokesman Sulaiman Abu Ghaith. I trust he received a vigorous interrogation, and will face swift and certain justice,”said Mr King.

“Propaganda statements in which Abu Ghaith and his late father-in-law, Osama bin Laden, praised the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 are alone enough to merit the most serious punishment.”