Libyan Al Qaeda leader detained in Turkey

Abd al-Baset Azzouz, the reported leader of the Al Qaeda in Libya, was detained last month in northwestern Turkey after he entered the country with a fake passport, media reported Thursday.

According to the authorities, Azzouz was reportedly detained Nov 13 in Yalova by Turkish police, Hurriyet Daily News reported citing Milliyet daily.

The suspect was subsequently deported to Jordan Nov 24, before being transferred to the US on suspicion of his involvement in a deadly attack on the American consulate in Benghazi Sep 11, 2012, in which the US envoy to Libya, Chris Stevens, was killed.

Azzouz, 48, was named as an "Al Qaeda operative and trainer skilled in bomb-making" by the US State Department and was on the list of 10 most dangerous global terrorists.

The father of four came to Britain from Libya in 1994 and was arrested in a raid at his home in Manchester in May 2006.

He was detained for nine months before being released on bail, after which he travelled to Libya.

After the death of Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in May 2011, Azzouz met his successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and was appointed as the chief operator of the organisation in Libya.

Before the Nov 13 raid in Turkey, Turkish police discovered that Azzouz had entered the country with a fake passport bearing the name of Libyan citizen, Awad Abdalla S. Ahmida.

Azzouz was detained while leaving his house in Yalova, where his two laptops were also confiscated by Turkish police.

He is expected to be put on trial in the US.