Of the three persons arrested in Peshawar by Pakistani authorites off an FBI tip a couple days ago, one turns out to be a Tunisian who goes by various names–including Lutfi and Salim. He was a member of the Hamburg cell that plotted 9/11 and left Germany for Afghanistan shortly before that catastrophe. Once the US compaign began in Afghanistan, he escaped back over the border and has been in Peshawar for the past year. He only speaks Arabic, which should have made him stand out. The Pakistani authorities think he may be a gold mine of information about the planning of 9/11. They recently also captured Ramzi Bin al-Shibh (al-Shaybah), who I suspect was on the next level up in the cell structure. After a long drought there is an increasing prospect that we may find out details of how September 11 came about.
About the Author
Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page