Tunisian militant leader linked to Al Qaeda arrested

TUNIS // The head of a Tunisia-based militant group linked to Al Qaeda was arrested on Monday in the Libyan city of Misurata along with several "people accompanying him," according to TAP, the state-run news agency.
Seifallah bin Hussein Mokni, also known as Abu Ayyad, the leader of Ansar Al Sharia, was arrested by United States special forces aided by Libyan troops, according to the agency, citing unidentified security officials.
The US has denied taking part in the operation, with a spokesperson, Colonel Steve Warren, saying that no US military forces have been involved in any operations in Libya.
Mr Mokni had been wanted by Tunisian authorities for attacks on the US Embassy in Tunisia in September 2012 — violence that was triggered after the release of a film made in the US that was widely seen in the Muslim world as insulting the Prophet Mohammad. Libyan state-run Al Nabaa television, citing unidentified security officials, denied the militant had been arrested or that there were US forces operating in Libya.
US forces captured Abu Anas Al Libi, another Al Qaeda suspect in the Libyan capital Tripoli in October.
Ansar Al Sharia has also been blamed by Tunisian authorities for the assassination of two opposition politicians whose killings compounded the unrest in the North African nation.
On Sunday, Tunisian police arrested seven alleged militants in Tunisia's western town of Kasserine, local radio reported, as authorities feared radicals may be planning attacks during New Year celebrations.
The seven arrested on Sunday were distributing leaflets banning New Year celebrations and threatened bakeries selling cakes for the occasion, according to two local radio reports.
*Bloomberg and Reuters