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Navy Nets al-Qaeda Suspects After Foggy Gulf Chase
Tuesday, July 16, 2002
(PRINT EDITION)
By Daniel LeBlanc
The Globe and Mail

It was 9:30 p.m., and as haze and fog descended, the three speedboats fled into the night. But a Dutch patrol plane tracked them and guided Algonquin to the speedboat carrying the suspects. "We got within 300 yards before we could see them," said Algonquin's Captain Gary Paulson. "We had to use some flares, some zenon lighting and white lighting to finally get a hold of them."

OTTAWA -- G&M
The Canadian navy handed over two suspected al-Qaeda members to U.S. forces over the weekend after a dramatic, high-speed chase in which the destroyer HMCS Algonquin caught a fleeing speedboat at night.

It was the first capture of suspected terrorists by a coalition warship since the start of the war in Afghanistan. In addition, it was the first time that Canadians handed over prisoners to U.S. forces since the controversial capture of al-Qaeda suspects by special forces in January.

This most recent capture reignited concerns about the federal government's decision to transfer prisoners to the United States, which is accused of ignoring the Geneva Conventions in the treatment of prisoners.

Although the suspects' identities have not been released, their capture is seen by members of the military coalition as a coup.
(More: The Globe and Mail News Source)
2002 © The Globe and Mail Interactive.

Dan