ISLAMABAD // Pakistani officials denied yesterday that a terror suspect arrested in recent days in Karachi was Adam Gadahn, an American-born al Qa'eda spokesman who is listed on the FBI's most wanted list. It came as a suicide bombing killed 13 and injured 67 in Lahore.
Intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have identified the suspect as Abu Yahya Azzam, an Egyptian-American al Qa'eda operative involved in fighting in Afghanistan.
The back-pedalling came a day after Pakistani newspapers, citing several US media outlets, ran front-page stories about the arrest of Adam Gadahn, 31, a native of California who has appeared in several al Qa'eda propaganda videos urging Muslims to target the US.
While intelligence officials contradicted earlier reports of Mr Gadahn's apprehension, publicly Pakistani officials remained tight-lipped over the identity of the recent arrests.
Rehman Malik, the Pakistani interior minister, told reporters in Islamabad yesterday that some arrests had been made in Karachi but that the identities of those taken in were still being ascertained.
Mr Gadahn was charged with treason in 2006 by an American court and faces the death penalty if convicted. He moved to Pakistan in 1998 and worked as a translator for al Qa'eda. He became known for his video broadcasts in which he lambasted the United States in his American accent and called on Muslims to join jihad.
In his latest video message, he urged Muslims to follow Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the US army officer charged with killing 13 people in Fort Hood, Texas, in November.
The arrests over the weekend that netted Mr Azzam were made in the outskirts of Karachi, the volatile southern port city where a number of top Taliban and al Qa'eda leaders have found refuge.
Last month Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the No 2 official of the Taliban, was arrested in Karachi in what is being described as a major success and reflective of a policy shift by Pakistani intelligence agencies. However, Pakistani officials have resisted demands by Afghans to hand over Mullah Baradar and a Pakistani court last month ruled that he could not be transferred to Afghanistan. His capture followed about half a dozen arrests across the country of senior and midlevel Taliban leaders.
"There's no love lost between the Pakistani state and al Qa'eda - the security guys get them when they can and wherever they can," said Cyril Almeida, an editor at Pakistan's leading daily Dawn."Much of it depends on the availability of actionable intelligence.
"The flurry of Afghan Taliban captures, though, raises an interesting question: has the Pakistan army changed its strategy or has it amended its tactics?
"For now it seems more of a tactical thing - enhanced co-operation with the Americans is yielding dividends in Pakistan's bid to dismantle parts of the Pakistani Taliban."
While much of the Pakistani Taliban leadership was based in the restive tribal regions straddling the border with Afghanistan, most of the al Qa'eda and Afghan Taliban leadership have found sanctuaries in urban areas.
"Karachi remains the great mystery - not so much about if there are militants hiding here but more about why it has remained relatively free of violence," Almeida said.
"Theories abound - the city is a transit point, it's a lucrative 'fund-raising' centre, it's used as a sanctuary that the militants don't want to draw too much attention to, etc. But I don't believe anyone truly knows why. Perhaps the new captures may shed some light on this mystery."
Also yesterday, a powerful suicide car bomb rocked the eastern city of Lahore, killing at least 13 people and injuring at least 67 others, according to police officials. The target of the early morning attack was a Pakistani security agency's interrogation centre in the posh Model Town neighbourhood.
The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility, according to media, saying it was retribution for US and Pakistani military offensives in the tribal areas and pledging further attacks.
At least 50 people were thought to be inside the building, which collapsed, leaving several people trapped under debris. Several pedestrians, including women and children, were also wounded.
"Important terrorism accused were kept here for interrogation," Pervez Rathore, the Lahore police chief, referring to the targeted building.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch
Power: 710bhp
Torque: 770Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 2.9 seconds
Top Speed: 340km/h
Price: Dh1,000,885
On sale: now
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
RESULTS
5pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Purebred Arabian Cup Conditions (PA) Dh 200,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Cup Conditions (PA) Dh 200,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Winked, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Cup Listed (TB) Dh 380,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Boerhan, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
6.30pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Group 3 (PA) Dh 500,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Jewel Crown Group 1 (PA) Dh 5,000,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Messi, Pat Dobbs, Timo Keersmaekers
7.30pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Handicap (PA) Dh 150,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Harrab, Ryan Curatolo, Jean de Roualle
8pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AF Alareeq, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
You Were Never Really Here
Director: Lynne Ramsay
Starring: Joaquim Phoenix, Ekaterina Samsonov
Four stars
The figures behind the event
1) More than 300 in-house cleaning crew
2) 165 staff assigned to sanitise public areas throughout the show
3) 1,000 social distancing stickers
4) 809 hand sanitiser dispensers placed throughout the venue
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
MIDWAY
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Scoreline
Arsenal 0 Manchester City 3
- Agüero 18'
- Kompany 58'
- Silva 65'
The major Hashd factions linked to Iran:
Badr Organisation: Seen as the most militarily capable faction in the Hashd. Iraqi Shiite exiles opposed to Saddam Hussein set up the group in Tehran in the early 1980s as the Badr Corps under the supervision of the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The militia exalts Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei but intermittently cooperated with the US military.
Saraya Al Salam (Peace Brigade): Comprised of former members of the officially defunct Mahdi Army, a militia that was commanded by Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and fought US and Iraqi government and other forces between 2004 and 2008. As part of a political overhaul aimed as casting Mr Al Sadr as a more nationalist and less sectarian figure, the cleric formed Saraya Al Salam in 2014. The group’s relations with Iran has been volatile.
Kataeb Hezbollah: The group, which is fighting on behalf of the Bashar Al Assad government in Syria, traces its origins to attacks on US forces in Iraq in 2004 and adopts a tough stance against Washington, calling the United States “the enemy of humanity”.
Asaeb Ahl Al Haq: An offshoot of the Mahdi Army active in Syria. Asaeb Ahl Al Haq’s leader Qais al Khazali was a student of Mr Al Moqtada’s late father Mohammed Sadeq Al Sadr, a prominent Shiite cleric who was killed during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba: Formed in 2013 to fight alongside Mr Al Assad’s loyalists in Syria before joining the Hashd. The group is seen as among the most ideological and sectarian-driven Hashd militias in Syria and is the major recruiter of foreign fighters to Syria.
Saraya Al Khorasani: The ICRG formed Saraya Al Khorasani in the mid-1990s and the group is seen as the most ideologically attached to Iran among Tehran’s satellites in Iraq.
(Source: The Wilson Centre, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation)
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
