Younis al-Mauritani was picked up in the suburbs of the southwestern city of Quetta along with two other high-ranking operatives after US and Pakistani spy agencies joined forces, signalling a possible thaw in relations.
The arrests are another blow to the global terror network, four months after Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan by covert US forces, leading to a souring of ties between allies Islamabad and Washington.
"In an intelligence-driven operation by Inter-Services Intelligence in coordination with Frontier Corps Baluchistan, a senior Al-Qaeda leader, Younis al-Mauritani, mainly responsible for planning and conduct of international operations, was nabbed," a Pakistani army statement said.
It named the two other senior operatives as Abdul Ghaffar al-Shami and Messara al-Shami.
The army hailed cooperation between the CIA and Pakistan`s Inter-Services Intelligence agency in the arrest of the trio, news of which comes just days before the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
"This operation was planned and conducted with technical assistance of United States Intelligence Agencies, with whom Inter-Services Intelligence has a strong, historic intelligence relationship," the military said.
It did not say when the arrests took place.
But two Pakistani security officials in Quetta, in Baluchistan province, told AFP the three men were arrested early last week in a late-night operation in Satellite town, an upmarket city suburb, along with two Pakistanis.
According to Pakistan`s army, al-Mauritani was instructed by bin Laden to focus on economic targets in the United States, Europe and Australia.
A grainy black-and-white photograph released by the army shows the Al-Qaeda operative with short dark hair, a slim face and neatly trimmed moustache and beard.
"He was planning to target United States economic interests including gas/oil pipelines, power generating dams and strike ships/oil tankers through explosive-laden speed boats in international waters," the army said.
Mauritani does not feature on either the US FBI list of most wanted terrorists or the US Treasury Department`s own list of global terrorists.
But Western intelligence officials from two separate countries confirmed Mauritani was part of Al-Qaeda`s top team and linked to threats against Europe.
"If it`s confirmed, it`s a good catch," said one Western intelligence source.
It comes one week after US officials claimed to have killed the Al-Qaeda second-in-command near the Afghan border in Pakistan.
But Pakistani security officials have expressed doubt over the report that Atiyah abd al-Rahman had been killed in the northwest tribal area of Waziristan -- an area that Washington has called the global headquarters of Al-Qaeda. (M014/K004)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
