The Arrest of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed: A Severe Blow to Al-Qaeda - 2003-03-02

The arrest of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is a severe blow to Al-Qaeda, according to the chairman of the Intelligence Committee in the U.S. Senate. Senator Pat Roberts stated that the arrest of a senior Al-Qaeda member occurred while the terrorist group was preparing for an attack in Afghanistan, which he referred to as a spring offensive. He mentioned that Al-Qaeda members were gathering for new attacks along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Government officials reported that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who was captured near Islamabad on Saturday, is now in U.S. custody. He is said to have orchestrated the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed had evaded capture multiple times over the past decade, despite being close to apprehension. He is of Pakistani descent, raised in Kuwait, and attended college in North Carolina, USA, in the 1980s, studying engineering. Afterward, he joined fighters in Afghanistan who were battling the former Soviet army, eventually rising to a senior position within Al-Qaeda. It is reported that he was in a position to know the identities, locations, and plans of Al-Qaeda operatives. Officials indicate that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed played a major role in funding Al-Qaeda and may have significant information regarding Osama bin Laden, the fugitive leader of Al-Qaeda, and Mullah Mohammad Omar, the ousted leader of the Taliban. It appears that he was one of the main planners of the September 11 attacks on America and may have played a crucial role in establishing contact between the hijackers and Al-Qaeda leadership. He is said to be a relative of Ramzi Yousef, who is currently imprisoned in the U.S. for the 1993 bombing of one of the two towers of the World Trade Center, which was later completely destroyed in the September 11 attacks.