LONDON Ñ The United States is said to have secretly extradited at
least five Islamic militants to Algeria.
It was the first time Washington is said to have extradited suspected
militants to Algeria. Until now, the United States has largely avoided
extradition of suspects wanted by Middle East countries out of concern that their human
rights would be violated. Last week, however, the United States extradited a
Gamiat Islamiya militant to Egypt.
Neither Algeria nor the United States has confirmed the extradition. But
the sources said the extradition was conducted as part of an agreement
concluded in April to bolster counter-insurgency cooperation between Algiers
and Washington.
Arab diplomatic sources said U.S. authorities transferred five members
of Islamic militant groups to Algeria and they are now being interrogated
by Algerian security officers. The sources said the suspected militants
were extradited by Washington after American authorities determined that
they were not linked to Al Qaida plots in the United States.
U.S. officials said Algiers provided a huge amount of information on
Islamic insurgency groups and their links to Al Qaida. They said Algiers
cooperated in the investigation of several Algerian nationals captured in
Canada and the United States and accused of plotting to bomb U.S. targets.
The sources said some of the Algerians were arrested in
Bosnia-Herzegovina and transferred to the United States. When U.S.
authorities concluded their investigation they were sent to Algeria.
In an unrelated development, Sudan has agreed to extradite several
suspected Saudi militants to Riyad. A Sudanese Interior Ministry statement
said one of the Saudis is suspected of firing an SA-7 shoulder-fired missile
toward a U.S. warplane at the Prince Sultan Air Base on May 18.
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