A man accused of killing two police officers while acting as the leader of an Al-Qaeda group in the Iraqi city of Fallujah was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, federal officials said on Friday.
Ali Yousif Ahmed Al-Nouri, 42, is wanted in Iraq on charges of premeditated murder of the Iraqi police officers in 2006, according to a statement by the US Attorney’s Office District of Arizona.
An Iraqi judge issued a warrant for Al-Nouri’s arrest and the government there issued an extradition request to the US Justice Department, the statement said.
The Justice Department sought an arrest warrant for Al-Nouri and he was taken into custody on Thursday in Phoenix.
He appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Phoenix on Friday in connection with proceedings to extradite him to Iraq, the statement said.
According to the Iraqi government, Al-Nouri was the leader of an Al-Qaeda group in Fallujah which planned operations targeting Iraqi police.
The statement noted the details in the Iraqi complaint were allegations that had yet to been proven in court.
Al-Nouri’s extradition would have to be certified by the US court and the US Secretary of State would then decide whether to surrender him to Iraq, the statement said.
It was not immediately possible to contact Al-Nouri for comment or determine whether he had hired a lawyer.
The statement did not provide information on when Al-Nouri entered the United States or how long he had lived in Phoenix.
Alleged leader of Iraqi Al-Qaeda group arrested in Arizona
https://arab.news/6gr9h
Alleged leader of Iraqi Al-Qaeda group arrested in Arizona
- He appeared before a federal magistrate judge in connection with proceedings to extradite him to Iraq
- It is unclear when the man entered the US and how long he has been in Pheonix
M23 rebel spokesperson killed in Congo army drone strike, officials say
- M23 controls large swathes of North and South Kivu provinces
- The attack happened near Rubaya, in North Kivu
DAKAR: The military spokesperson for the M23 rebel group, Willy Ngoma, was killed in an army drone strike in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday, a regional diplomat, a senior rebel official and a Western adviser to the government said.
The killing comes as Qatar-mediated ceasefire efforts continue, with Kinshasa and M23 having signed agreements in Doha to establish a joint ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism involving Qatar, the United States and the African Union as observers.
M23, which the United Nations says is backed by Rwanda, controls large swathes of North and South Kivu provinces after a rapid offensive last year in which the rebels seized the strategic cities of Goma and Bukavu.
The attack happened near Rubaya, in North Kivu, at around 3 a.m. (0100 GMT), and came after several days of sustained drone attacks on the area by the Congolese army, the senior M23 official told Reuters.
Rubaya is a strategic coltan-mining hub that produces around 15 percent of the world’s supply, making it a key financial stronghold for the M23 rebels. A spokesperson for the Congolese presidency declined to comment and a spokesperson for Congo’s army did not immediately respond.
