LYON, France, 29 December 2005 — Interpol yesterday announced it had issued an international arrest warrant for Al-Qaeda’s leader in Iraq, the Jordanian-born extremist Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi.
The warrant was issued following a request from Algeria, which is investigating the kidnapping and murder of two Algerian diplomats in Iraq in July, the international police organization said in a statement.
“We congratulate Algeria for being the first country to take the important step of requesting an Interpol Red Notice against Al-Zarqawi,” Interpol Secretary-General Ronald Noble said in the statement.
“This will decrease the likelihood that such a notorious suspect will be able to evade detection.” The shadowy extremist — who only has one leg after being injured fighting for the Taleban in Afghanistan — is Iraq’s most wanted man and has a $25 million bounty on his head.
Zarqawi, 39, is allegedly the mastermind of numerous bombings, armed attacks, hostage murders and other acts of violence in Iraq. He is wanted in Germany and Iraq for terrorism offences, as well as in Jordan where he has claimed a string of attacks, including the triple hotel bombing that left 60 people dead in Amman on Nov. 9, Interpol noted.
