ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Britain has requested the extradition of Rashid Rauf, a Briton arrested in Pakistan earlier this month in connection with the alleged plot to blow up U.S.-bound jetliners, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said Monday.
Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said Rauf — earlier identified by Pakistan as a "key person" in the plot — was being investigated for alleged links with Al Qaeda, in connection with terrorist threats in Britain and in Pakistan.
Asked if the British government had sought Rauf's extradition, she told a news conference, "Yes, they have sought his extradition and the matter is under consideration."
Aiden Liddle, a spokesman for the British High Commission in Islamabad, said he could neither confirm or deny that the request had been made. He said that as a matter of policy, such requests can only be confirmed once extradition has been carried out.
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