New York City (AFP) - A Libyan Al-Qaeda suspect snatched from Tripoli by US commandos and interrogated on an American warship, has been brought to New York to face trial, a prosecutor said Monday.
Anas al-Libi is expected to appear in court on Tuesday in New York where he has been indicted over the 1998 US embassy bombing in Kenya that killed 213 people.
The car bombing on August 7 1998 wounded 5,000 and an almost simultaneous truck bomb outside the US mission in Tanzania killed 11 people and wounded 70.
Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for both attacks.
Libi, a computer expert, was indicted more than 10 years ago, accused of conspiracy to murder, kidnap and maim Americans and of plotting to maliciously damage and destroy US property.
"The government expects that he will be presented before a judicial officer tomorrow," Southern District of New York Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement.
Libi, 49, was understood to have been interrogated and held on a US warship in the Mediterranean after his capture on October 5 in an operation denounced by Libya.
Libi -- whose real name is Nazih Abdul Hamed al-Raghie -- was on the FBI's most wanted list with a $5 million bounty on his head for his alleged role in the bombings.
US President Barack Obama said last week Libi "planned and helped to execute a plot that killed hundreds of people, a whole lot of Americans."
"We have strong evidence of that. And he will be brought to justice," Obama added.
The New York indictment accuses Libi in 1993 of discussing possible attacks against the US embassy in Nairobi, and of surveilling the diplomatic mission.
In or about 1994, it says, he received files concerning possible terrorist attacks against the embassy, USAID and British, French and Israeli targets in Nairobi.
His capture embarrassed Libya and put it under pressure from its critics -- notably former rebel groups in the 2011 revolt that ousted dictator Moamer Kadhafi.
The government summoned the US ambassador and Prime Minister Ali Zeidan insisted that all Libyans should be tried on home soil.
Citing surveillance footage, Libi's son Abdullah al-Raghie said his father had been seized by masked men armed with pistols, claiming the Libyan government was implicated. Tripoli denies the accusation.
Washington has refused so far to say publicly whether it sought permission from Libya's government for the operation, but insisted it was legal under US law.
Libi was said to have worked for the Al-Qaeda network in Nairobi in 1993 and 1994.
After his group was tasked with scouting out US, British French and Israeli targets in the city, Libi's group travelled to Khartoum to brief te then Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/libyan-al-qaeda-suspect-us-193222725.html
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