PRETORIA, 22 April 2004 — A Libyan man allegedly linked to the Al-Qaeda network was granted bail on Tuesday and ordered to return to a South African court to face possible extradition back to Libya.
Ibrahim Ali Abubakar Tantoush, 38, was arrested in February by South African police acting on a warrant issued by Libya for alleged gold theft.
Tantoush was granted 8,000 rand ($1,200) bail in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court and his extradition hearing postponed to June 30, said police spokeswoman Sally de Beer.
“Tantoush was arrested in February on an Interpol warrant of arrest for gold theft charges laid against him in Libya,” De Beer said, but declined to comment when asked about his alleged Al-Qaeda links.
The Johannesburg-based newspaper The Star quoted Tantoush as saying he had fled from Libya in 1985 after taking part in an uprising against Libyan leader Col. Muammar Qaddafi.
“The Libyan government wishes to extradite him for gold theft which allegedly took place in the same year,” the paper said.
Quoting sources, the local 702 Eyewitness News radio station said Tantoush was a suspected Al-Qaeda operative and was alleged to have stolen large amounts of gold in 1985 to fund the network. He has also allegedly attended various Al-Qaeda training camps.
In an affidavit presented to the court, Tantoush said the theft charges were false and an attempt by Tripoli to have political opponents returned to Libya.
He has applied for asylum in South Africa, saying he faced persecution in Libya.
Tantoush’s affidavit said the Libyan warrant for his arrest — which cites terrorism charges — were “contrived” and an attempt to stop him from obtaining asylum.
He said he was arrested in Indonesia last year while traveling to Australia on a false South African passport and deported here on Nov. 1.
Tantoush’s legal team said no extradition documents had been forwarded by Libya and South Africa had no existing extradition treaty with Tripoli.
