Ex-MP Zahir Qadir arrested in Kenya

KABUL (Pajhwok): Ex-parliamentarian Abdul Zahir Qadir has been arrested in Kenya and could be extradited to the United States, a media report said on Tuesday.

Prosecutors say Qadir arrived in Nairobi on April 14 aboard a Qatar Airways flight. He was detained at a hotel in the city, with a local court upholding his continued custody, The Nairobi Times reported.

A US district court in New York had issued a warrant for his arrest on March 2, charging him with conspiracy to import narcotics and possession of heavy weapons.

According to the report, the US government formally requested his extradition by sending a diplomatic note to Kenyan authorities.

The prosecution has formally authorised the initiation of Qadir’s extradition process to the United States.

Kenyan judges agreed to his detention, citing a risk of flight. Reasons for the former lawmaker’s travel to Kenya remain unclear.

Qadir had served as a parliamentary representative for eastern Nangarhar province in the previous government.

kk/mud