Al-Qaida suspect detained in Manila

A man suspected of al-Qaida links has been detained after arriving at Manila airport from Saudi Arabia and may have been handed over to US officials, Philippine immigration officials said.

Abd Allah Nassar al-Arifi arrived in Manila from Saudi Arabia

The man, identified by the officials as Saudi Arabian national Abd Allah Nassar al-Arifi, 34, appears on a US Federal Bureau of Investigation list of “terror suspects” and may have links to the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States as well as the 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia, the officials told the media on Friday.

He was detained shortly after arriving on a Philippine Airlines flight from the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Wednesday, the officials said.

An immigration official said US federal agents took custody of the suspect, but other officials said he was still being held by the Philippine immigration bureau and that US officials were taking part in an investigation.

No other details were immediately available. The US Embassy did not comment on the case.

Source: News Agencies