[Los Angeles Times] Borzou Daragahi - According to a report Saturday in the Syrian newspaper Al Liwaa, the leader of the al-Qaeda-linked militant group Fatah al-Islam, Shaker Abbsi, was captured two months ago in Syria. Abbsi, 53, who is of Palestinian descent, piloted MIGs for the Libyan air force in a war against Chad, and Jordanian officials accused him of playing a role in the 2002 assassination of U.S. diplomat Laurence Foley in Amman, Jordan. Abbsi popped up in Lebanon as leader of Fatah al-Islam, a group of well-armed Islamic insurgents who fought the Lebanese army for months last year in a battle near Nahr al-Bared that left more than 400 dead. Abbsi's loyalists were reportedly planning to carry out a suicide bombing at a Damascus soccer stadium during a game a month ago to avenge his capture, but were thwarted by Syrian security.
2008-11-07 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive