_____News from the Netherlands_____ • Area on Alert, Torn by Onset of War (The Washington Post, Mar 20, 2003) • U.S. Problems Caught Ahold by Surprise (The Washington Post, Mar 15, 2003) • International War Crimes Court Is Inaugurated, but Without U.S. (The Washington Post, Mar 12, 2003) • More News from the Netherlands In the Field: Reports From The Post's Embedded Correspondents U.S. Deployments: Troop Tracker The Antiwar Movement: Its Roots, Major Protest Groups, Global Views Multimedia: Complete Archive ___ More News ___ ___ E-mail Newsletter ___ Fresh Washington Post news and analysis every weekday afternoon. Sample | Subscribe _____News from Turkey_____ • Turkish Leader Makes Request on Airspace (The Washington Post, Mar 20, 2003) • U.S. Attack in Northern Iraq To Be Smaller Than Planned (The Washington Post, Mar 20, 2003) • Disquiet on the Northern Front (The Washington Post, Mar 19, 2003) • Turks Balk at Deal With Kurds (The Washington Post, Mar 19, 2003) • Turkey Says It May Alter Decision on Use of Bases (The Washington Post, Mar 18, 2003) E-Mail This Article Printer-Friendly Version Subscribe to The Post

By KRISTIAN KAHRS
The Associated Press
Thursday, March 20, 2003; 5:44 PM

Mullah Krekar, the leader of a Kurdish guerrilla group suspected of links to al-Qaida, was arrested by Norwegian police Thursday on kidnapping charges.

Police arrested Krekar at his home in Oslo. Spokesman Erling Grimstad said authorities were looking into widening the charges against him but did not elaborate.

Krekar was questioned by Norway's intelligence agency last month when the rebel leader admitted to briefly holding nine men in Iraq in December 2001. No further details were available.

Police had released Krekar pending further investigation but confiscated his passport to keep him in the country.

Norwegian prosecutors can charge suspects for crimes that took place outside the country's borders, even if the suspect is not a Norwegian citizen.

Krekar, who commanded the Kurdish Ansar al-Islam group in northern Iraq, has denied the allegations. If convicted he faces up to 10 years in prison.

Calls to Krekar's lawyer, Brynjar Meling, were not immediately returned.

Krekar also faces a preliminary charge of having participated in a military organization.

Krekar, who had been given refugee status in this Nordic country of 4.5 million, was arrested in September 2002 in the Netherlands. He was released and returned to Norway.

In an interview broadcast Wednesday night on Dutch television, Krekar said his group would use suicide attacks to defend itself if U.S. troops invading Iraq went after the group.

The United Nations has labeled Ansar al-Islam a terrorist organization and Washington believes some members of al-Qaida fleeing Afghanistan joined the 500-strong group, which has been active in the mountains of northern Iraq near the border with Iran.

Rival Kurdish groups say Ansar also has ties to Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, though some terrorism experts doubt the connection.

Krekar has denied any links to Saddam or al-Qaida, but acknowledged that he considers Osama bin Laden a "good Muslim."

Krekar was scheduled to appear in court Friday.