Pakistani security officials on Wednesday claimed to have arrested a French-born al-Qaeda operative in Balochistan from near the border the province shares with Iran. Identified as Naamen Maziche, he is alleged to have been in charge of al-Qaeda’s international operations.
There was no official word on the arrest, which was reported on news websites based on information provided by unnamed security officials. He is said to be a close associate of Younis al-Mauritani, who was arrested by the Pakistan Army in September last year.
Mauritani — who is of North African origin — was arrested from Balochistan’s capital, Quetta, along with two other al-Qaeda operatives in an operation conducted with technical assistance from U.S. intelligence agencies.
About Maziche’s arrest, no details were forthcoming; not even when he was nabbed. In fact, barring news about the arrest, there is practically no detail available about him online.
Keywords: Pakistan terrorism, French al-Qaeda operative
