U.S. envoy: Saudis agree to return assassination suspects

SUMMARY:

The leader of Afghanistan's interim government, Hamid Karzai, said Friday that 20 suspects have been linked to the assassination of the Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism Abdul Rahman.

Rahman was stabbed to death Thursday. Officials originally had said he was beaten to death by Hajj pilgrims frustrated at having to wait up to two days to get a plane to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Among the suspects are five senior military and defense officials in Karzai's government, including the head of the intelligence ministry, Gen. Abdullah Tawhedi; the technical deputy of the Ministry of Defense, Gen. Qalander Big; and a Supreme Court justice, Haji Halim.

Zalmay Khalilzad, President Bush's special envoy to Afghanistan, who spoke with Karzai on Friday, said the suspects have long had a vendetta against Rahman, who had broken away from the Northern Alliance.

Three suspects, all members of the Northern Alliance, fled to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Khalilzad told PBS's "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer."

Karzai asked the Saudis for the immediate return of the three suspects who fled to Saudi Arabia, and the Saudis agreed to hand them over, Khalilzad added.

•  Summary   •  Update   •  Key questions   •  Who's who  CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT  CNN NewsPass Video  Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998  MORE STORIES Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects Report cites warnings before 9/11  EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Who Knew What and When? Interactive: Terror Investigation Terror Warnings System Most wanted terrorists What looks suspicious? In-Depth: America Remembers In-Depth: Terror on Tape In-Depth: How prepared is your city?  RESOURCES On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands? On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

UPDATE:

The FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center and the Food Marketing Institute signed an agreement Friday to form a center aimed at protecting the nation's food supply from tampering. Industry Security and Analysis Centers have already been established in other critical sectors, including electric power, banking and finance, telecommunications, and water. (Full Story)

U.S. intelligence officers are investigating whether a shipment of illicit Afghan drugs recovered at sea on Wednesday may be linked to al Qaeda or Taliban activities. Military officials tell CNN on Friday the drugs were in plastic packages stamped with the words "Freedom of Afghanistan."

Yemeni and U.S. officials are discussing the imminent deployment of U.S. special forces to the Middle Eastern country, the latest joint endeavor between the two countries in the U.S.-led war against terrorism. (Full Story)

In the United States, John Walker Lindh will face trial August 26 on 10 counts that stem from his fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan, a federal judge ruled Friday in Alexandria, Virginia. (Full Story)

KEY QUESTION:

Can the chief suspect in Daniel Pearl's abduction be believed?

WHO'S WHO:

Abdul Rahman: Afghanistan's Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism who was killed Thursday. Hamid Karzai, the leader of Afghanistan's interim government, called the killing an "assassination" and said that five senior government officials were involved.

Daniel Pearl: A 38-year-old reporter for The Wall Street Journal who was abducted January 23 in Karachi, Pakistan. A group calling itself the National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty claims it is holding him and is threatening to kill him unless the United States meets its demands to release Pakistanis captured in the U.S. war on terror.