Sahara Desert Handoff Hopes to Win Capture

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Sahara Desert Handoff Hopes to Win Capture

ELLEN KNICKMEYER
Associated Press Writer

June 5, 2004, 10:36 AM EDT

DAKAR, Senegal -- A Sahara Desert handoff was unfolding Saturday that could put a man believed to be one of North Africa's most-wanted terror suspects in the hands of Algerian authorities, according to an official with one of the countries involved.

Algerian forces hoped through the handoff to win custody of a man tentatively identified as Amari Saifi, known as "Al Para," his nom de guerre, the official said.

Saifi, the No. 2 man of an armed Algerian extremist group linked to al-Qaida, is wanted in last year's killing of 43 Algerian soldiers and the Sahara kidnapping of 32 European tourists, among other crimes. ...MORE

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-west-africa-terror-suspect,0,3842930.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines