US captures 'organiser' of attack on Gulf warship

The US has captured Rahim al-Nashri, said to be the operations chief of al-Qa'ida in the Gulf. He is also the suspected organiser of the October 2000 attack against the destroyer USS Cole, in which 17 American sailors died.

US officials said Mr Nashri – considered one of the top 10 al-Qa'ida operatives at large – was seized earlier this month in an undisclosed country in the Gulf region.

He is the most senior member of the terrorist group to be captured since a joint US-Pakistani swoop netted Abu Zubaydah, its operations chief, in March. Like Abu Zubaydah, Mr Nashri is said to be providing information.

His identity emerged yesterday, more than a week after the US revealed it had captured a big fish in al-Qa'ida.

His capture is the latest of several significant blows to al-Qa'ida. First, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, alleged to be an organiser of the 11 September attacks, was seized in Karachi. On 3 November, American forces killed Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi, a senior associate of Osama bin Laden, and five other al-Qa'ida operatives by firing a missile at their car as it drove through Yemen.