al-Qaida's No. 3 Man Arrested in Pakistan

PAKISTANI authorities have captured senior al-Qaeda operative Abu Faraj al-Libbi, the mastermind behind two attempts to kill President Pervez Musharraf, information minister Sheikh Rashid said today.The Libyan national with a $US5 million ($6.47 million) US bounty on his head was seized with five other foreign al-Qaeda operatives at the weekend in northwestern Pakistan, Mr Rashid said."He is a very important catch, he was wanted in several high-profile acts of terrorism. He was also wanted in the assassination attacks on President Musharraf," he said.In Washington, UN President George W. Bush said the al-Libbi capture "represents a critical victory in the war on terror".During an appearance to talk about Social Security, Mr Bush praised the government of Pakistan for the arrest.Mr Bush called him "a major facilitator and a chief planner" for Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network and said that his arrest "removes a dangerous enemy who is a direct threat to America and for those who love freedom".