John Kerry defends alleged Al-Qaueda terrorist capture

US Secretary of State John Kerry has deemed a US commando capture of an alleged al-Qaeda mastermind as "legal".

16:22 07 October 2013

Following calls from Libya asking for clarification on the capture of an alleged al-Qaeda leader, US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that the capture was “legal and appropriate.”

Anas al-Liby is the suspected mastermind of the 1998 US embassy attacks in Africa.

Anas al-Liby has been on the FBI’s Most Wanted List for over a decade with a reward of $5m (£3.1m).

Kerry told reporters on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) summit in Indonesia: "With respect to Abu Anas al-Liby, he is a key al-Qaeda figure, and he is a legal and an appropriate target for the US military.”

Meanwhile, US commandos reportedly carried out another raid on Saturday but this time in southern Somalia. However, they failed to capture their target. It is believed that the seaborne raid by US Navy Seals was focused on a leader of the al-Shabab militant group who reportedly carried out last month’s attack on the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon Saaid said that "our co-operation with international partners on fighting against terrorism is not a secret” when asked if they were aware of the raid.