Iran has arrested and sentenced some members of Al-Qaeda, but has tried to hide the fact. Other than the fact they do not want to be targeted by Al-Qaeda themselves I see no reason why they would hide this fact. It would seem the benefits of announcing the arrests would outweigh the negatives, but I don't think they want to be seen as helping the west in anything including the war on terror.
Turkish Press
Iran confirmed that it has tried and sentenced fugitive members of Al-Qaeda detained on its soil, but maintained a tight secrecy over which members of Osama bin Laden's network were in the Islamic republic.
"The sentences have been pronounced," a Tehran justice department official told AFP on Tuesday, confirming a report from the semi-official Fars news agency that all Al-Qaeda detainee cases had been treated in Tehran by a "special judge".
But the official refused to say who the accused were, how many of them there were, nor what verdicts were reached or sentences handed out.
"The verdicts will be made public when the legal obstacles related to such an announcement are lifted," added the official.
Legal obstacles to announcing you've arrested and convicted terrorists? Stop looking at me like that I don't understand it either.
Tipped by: Interested-Participant
Other Commentary:
The Jawa Report
Could be these "fugitive" Al-Qaeda members were undercover CIA snitched on by other members. Makes sense to me since we know that the CIA is trying to infiltrate the group. Communist USSR used to call some of our suspected spys "Hooligans" without coming right out and calling them spys. If Iran called them American "spys" the Mullahs would have to admit that they are actually on the side of Al-Qaeda. In other words they had to arrest them as "fugitive" members to keep their Al-Qaeda friends happy.
Posted by: Harry on December 11, 2004 09:17 AM
