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No Sign of al Qaeda Operatives
in Central America
(Reuters) - Central American
governments said on Wednesday
there was no sign of two al
Qaeda operatives whose suspected
presence in the region sparked a
security alert, while a U.S.
official said it was probably a
false alarm.
Nicaragua sounded the alarm on
Tuesday, warning that a Kenyan
on the FBI's most wanted
terrorist list and a Yemeni
colleague could be somewhere in
Central America.
The U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica
said the terror alert over
Kenya's Ahmed Salim Swedan and
the Yemeni, named only as
Altuwiti, was likely a false
alarm caused by governments
taking a routine warning out of
context.
Swedan is wanted for the U.S.
Embassy bombings in Kenya and
Tanzania in 1998 that killed
more than 200 people. The United
States has offered a reward of
up to $5 million for his
capture.
Nicaragua, El Salvador and
Guatemala tightened their
borders after the warning but
have not detected the pair.
"We have no knowledge,
suspicions or signs that they
are in Nicaragua," Nidia Barboza,
the deputy head of the country's
immigration services told
Nicaraguan television.
Salvadoran police also said it
was doubtful the pair were in
the region.
"There was confusion over
sharing information about people
who are fugitive which is a
normal measure but does not in
any way mean that they are in
Central America," said Elaine
Samson, spokeswoman for the U.S.
Embassy in Costa Rica.
It was the latest terror scare
in Central America, none of
which have resulted in attacks
or arrests.
An Islamist group claiming links
to al Qaeda threatened attacks
last August inside El Salvador
unless the Central American
country withdrew its troops from
Iraq. El Salvador has kept its
small contingent there.
Last year, Honduras said
Saudi-born Adnan El Shukrijumah,
suspected of links to al Qaeda,
was spotted there but fled the
country before police could
arrest him. He later appeared on
a list of Washington's 14 most
wanted al Qaeda suspects.
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