On October 17, 2012, the Al-Jazeera TV channel broadcast the first in a two-part interview it conducted with Mahfouz Ould Al-Walid, a former member of Al-Qaeda's shura council and head of its shari'a committee. Al-Walid, aka Abu Hafs Al-Mauritani, is known for having expressed his objection to bin Laden's plans to attack the U.S.
Following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 Al-Mauritani fled to Iran, and was held in Iranian custody from 2002 to 2012. In April 2012 he was extradited to Mauritania, where he was arrested. Al-Mauritani was released from Mauritanian prison in early July 2012. In the interview, Al-Mauritani revealed that he had been interrogated by Americans upon return to his country.
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