RIYADH, 16 January — A Saudi family, which claims that one of its members was "kidnapped" by US intelligence in Pakistan, has decided to sue the United States government, an Arabic newspaper reported yesterday. Relatives said they lost track of Abdullah Al-Matrafi, director of the Wafa charity, on Dec. 10 after he called them from Lahore airport in Pakistan, shortly before he was supposed to board an Emirates flight to Jeddah via Dubai.
Wafa appeared on a US list of organizations suspected of funding terrorism in October, but its director denied the allegation on Qatar’s Al-Jazeera television, Abdullah’s brother Muhammad told Al-Hayat daily.
Abdullah, 39, had been in Afghanistan during the US-led war and Wafa’s stores were a target of US bombings in which seven of its aid workers were killed, including four Saudis, Muhammad said.
Lahore airport authorities and the airline told the family that Abdullah had in fact boarded the Emirates flights at Lahore for Dubai, and at Dubai for Jeddah, but he had never arrived there.
Muhammad said he had been told Abdullah had been detained by the Americans, adding, "This is nothing but piracy, carried out by a superpower."
Abdullah explained in the TV interview that Wafa was involved in constructing mosques, digging wells, setting up medical centers and running a hospital in Kabul. He also said he was ready to show the charity’s accounts to anyone.
After leaving Kabul due to US air raids, Abdullah was seriously injured in the bombings. He suffered a fractured leg and ribs and burns in various parts of the body, Muhammad said.
Abdullah’s father said his son, who has three children, spent most of his life in charity work and was never involved in politics. He worked as director for a fund-raising committee for Bosnia for five years.
Later, Abdullah went to Makkah where he joined a dawa center and worked as an imam. He went to Afghanistan two years ago and founded Wafa.
Muhammad said he had already contacted a Saudi lawyer and was planning to sue the US State Department for including Wafa in the terrorist list without evidence, and the US government for "kidnapping" his brother. He also plans to sue Dubai-based Emirates.
The Emirates airline yesterday denied suggestions that Abdullah was "kidnapped". "Our records show that Abdullah Al-Matrafi did not board the Emirates flight from Lahore to Dubai," said Hatem Omar, the airline’s public relations officer. But Muhammad Al-Matrafi insisted that he had proof that Abdullah was on Emirates Flight 675 from Lahore to Dubai.
In a related development, Abdul Hakeem Bukhari, a Saudi from Makkah who was reported to be among a group of prisoners in Afghanistan, telephoned his family on Monday, saying he was in a Kandahar jail, Asharq Al-Awsat daily reported.
Abdul Rahman Al-Bukhari, a member of the family, said Abdul Hakeem had no links with Al-Qaeda organization of Osama Bin Laden. "Abdul Hakeem went to Pakistan about five months ago for medical treatment and returned to the Kingdom before the Sept. 11 attacks," Abdul Rahman said.
Abdul Hakeem again went to Pakistan after the terror attacks thinking he could purchase Afghan carpets at bargain prices. "Until the last quarter of December, we had no information about Abdul Hakeem, until we received a telephone call from him in which he said he was imprisoned by the Taleban. "Then the line was cut off," he told the paper.
