Syria releases wanted Spanish Al Qaeda leader
Spaniard Mustafa Setmarian, the terrorist network's number four, was freed in December
Earlier this month, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vowed to crush protestors' "terrorism with an iron fist." But just weeks before he made that speech, the Syrian president ordered the release of the Spaniard Mustafa Setmarian, the number-four leader of Al Qaeda, who is still wanted by Spanish authorities.
Setmarian, 53, was released in December along with another terrorist, Abu Khalid, according to the Soorynoon.net website, which is run by the Syrian opposition in London. A Spanish government source has also confirmed the release.
Setmarian was captured by US special forces in Pakistan in 2005 and was later sent to Syria after he was held and interrogated. Damascus never responded to the High Court's demands that Syria hand over Setmarian, wanted for the 1985 bombing of a restaurant near a military base outside Madrid.
Syria has also failed to tell Washington that it had released him, possibly violating the cooperation agreement on terrorism that it recently signed.
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