Background of Mustafa Setmarian Nasar, Possibly Captured in Pakistan (updated)
By Andrew Cochran
News reports have the Pakistanis killing one Al Qaeda suspect and capturing another, who might be Mustafa Setmarian Nasar, a.k.a. Abu Musab al-Suri, an AQ leader in Europe and suspected mastermind in the March 11, 2004 Madrid bombings. The Investigative Project's Lorenzo Vidino discussed Nasar's collaboration with and influence over Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in a "National Review Online" piece in May 2004. Here is Evan Kohlmann's profile of Nasar from earlier this year (Acrobat file), and here is a video of Nasar filmed in 2000 and obtained by Evan. MSNBC has a good article about his activities and contacts inside Al Qaeda. Nasar was an early suspect in the 7/7 London bombings, but it's unclear if he had any role.
Picture of Nasar:
