Arab News

TEHRAN, 29 June 2003 — An Iranian government spokesman yesterday rejected Arab media reports that Osama Bin Laden’s son was being held in Iran, the students’ news agency ISNA reported.

While denying the reports, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid Reza Assefi said Iran would never disclose the results of security-related issues to the foreign media. The spokesman also denied media reports on detainment of Ayman Al-Zawahiri, said to be the right hand man of the Al-Qaeda leader.

The Al-Arabiya satellite television network quoted unnamed Western diplomatic sources as saying Al-Zawahiri and Al-Qaeda spokesman Suleiman Abu Ghaith were among several Al-Qaeda suspects Iran had arrested in recent months.

In recent weeks, there has been considerable speculation in Tehran that Al-Zawahiri, a medical doctor nicknamed the “Terror Doctor”, was among some 500 people which official sources said had illegally entered Iran from Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, according to diplomatic sources, Iran has been locked in highly secretive and complex extradition talks with Egypt and Kuwait over prisoners held here who are widely believed to be senior members of Al-Qaeda network.

According to the well-placed sources, Tehran could deal the biggest blow to the network since the United States-led war in Afghanistan by handing over some of Bin Laden’s closest aides. The sources said they have strong reason to believe that three top Al-Qaeda fugitives have been detained in Iran.