Swedish al Qaeda Suspect Arrested in Prague

Oussama Kassir scouted locations for Bly, Oregon al Qaeda training camp

From the Times of Oman:

STOCKHOLM –– A 39-year-old Swede accused of terrorism by the United States has been arrested in Prague, Swedish tabloid Expressen reported on Tuesday.

The man, who was not identified, is wanted by the US CIA spy agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which accuse him of being terror mastermind Osama bin Laden's "man in Sweden", Expressen wrote.

The US has tried to obtain his extradition for several years, accusing him of setting up Al-Qaeda training camps in the US state of Oregon in 1999, but Sweden has refused to hand him over, the paper said.

US Newswire reports that the unidentified man is Oussama Kassir, a Lebanese-born Swede:

KASSIR was arrested in Prague, Czech Republic, on December 11, 2005, based on the sealed criminal complaint, and the corresponding arrest warrant that were on file with Interpol. He is currently detained in Prague, and the United States is pursuing his extradition.

Kassir reportedly visited Oregon with London bombing suspect Haroon Rashid Aswat:

Aswat is one of two al-Masri associates who are referred to but not named or charged in the 2002 indictment of Ujaama by a federal grand jury in Seattle, officials said. The other is Oussama Kassir, a Lebanese-born Swede, who was convicted of weapons violations in Sweden in 2003.

Aswat and Kassir traveled to the high desert area of Oregon in 1999 to check out property Ujaama identified as suitable for a training camp because it was on terrain comparable to Afghanistan's and could be used to store guns, ammunition and bunkers, the indictment said.

Aswat was charged earlier this year.