ISLAMABAD: A Frenchman, Naamen Meziche, who remained in Pakistani custody for allegedly having links to Al-Qaeda and recruiting Islamist fighters, has been deported to his native country, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday.
The 43-year-old Meziche, who was once connected to Al-Qaeda’s so-called Hamburg cell which planned the 9/11 attacks on the US, has been in Pakistani custody since being arrested in May 2012 in the southwest of the country along with three other suspected French jihadis, who were sent back to France in April.
A diplomatic source said that Meziche was escorted onto a flight from Islamabad and arrived in Paris on Tuesday afternoon French time, adding that French police are expected to question him about links to extremist networks.
