Bagman / Bomber - Syrian Al Quaeda Bad Guy Killed

A Qaeda Bomb Expert Killed in Pakistan Was a Paymaster
By MOHAMMED KHAN and CARLOTTA GALL New York Times Published: April 22, 2006

Can you believe these guys good luck ? A Syrian man, Mr. Suri was killed after his bus was stopped by soldiers at a checkpoint. He shot one of the soldiers and was shot and killed as he tried to flee outside the town of Kaar a tribal area close to the Afghan border, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said on Saturday 22nd April 2006.

Marwan Hadid al-Suri, 38, AKA Abu Marwan, was not only dead but had an amazing collection of incriminating diaries, hand grenades,a pistol, circuits diagrams for bombs, details of chemicals, TNT and C-4 explosives - well naturally he was Al Quaeda's "explosives expert" - although some press reports have the more headline grabbing, and glamorous job description of "Al Quaeda Bagman". That's what "experts/ bagmen" do, carry notes around about making bombs ( but no money apparently ?)His body was taken to Peshawar and his DNA verified to confirm his identity - checked against what ?.

A diary cunningly written in Arabic contained a list of families of senior Qaeda operatives who received regular cash payments from the organization, including relatives of Mr. Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq. Whilst not saying where the families lived, it described paying $2,500 per family every three months. According to the list, each family was also paid $500 per child every three months.

Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao told astonished journalists of their immense skill in catching Suri but when asked about the reported killing of Mohsin Musa Mutawali Atwah alias Abdur Rehman Al-Suri in an air raid in North Waziristan last week refused to comment.

Fox News has an even more exciting tale saying Suri's identity was confirmed after experts scanned a laptop computer, a diary and some other documents found in his vehicle ( not on a bus as other reports) after the shootout, which left one agent dead and two wounded.

PS Read more of the Pentagon "villainisation" of the mysterious (one or two legged)Mr Zarkawi.