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ABUJA. — The Nigerian army says it has arrested the leader of an Al-Qaeda-linked militant group, Ansaru, known for kidnapping and murdering Westerners.
Khalid al-Barnawi was captured in Lokoja, capital of the central state of Kogi on Friday, military spokesman Brigadier-General Rabe Abubakar said on Sunday.
“He is among those on top of the list of our wanted terrorists,” he added.
Al-Barnawi has been one of the three Nigerians listed by the US in 2012 as “specially designated global terrorists”. The US had placed a $5 million bounty on his head.
A-Barnawi has “ties to Boko Haram” and “close links to al-Qaeda”, according to the US State Department.
A Nigerian army officer said his arrest was “a huge success and will have a profound effect on counter-terrorism operations in Nigeria and beyond”. — Press TV.
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