Saudi officials have apprehended a major al Qaeda figure in Saudi Arabia who was in close contact with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and is believed to be one of the key operatives responsible for the May 12 bombings of three residential compounds in Riyadh, U.S. and Saudi officials said yesterday. The capture of Ali Aburahman Gamdi “is a very serious blow to al Qaeda,” said one U.S. official familiar with Gamdi’s activities. “He would know about all the key al Qaeda players in Saudi Arabia and the members of the current Saudi cells.” Gamdi, 30, is believed to have ties to senior al Qaeda figures and reportedly was present at the beginning of the battle at Tora Bora near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in late 2001, when bin Laden is believed to have escaped a military assault by U.S. and Afghan forces on his suspected mountain hideout. Full Story
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