No Early Release for Al Qaeda Suspect

A German court rejected a bid by a suspected top Al Qaeda member for early release from custody pending the ruling of a higher tribunal on his extradition to Spain for trial. A spokeswoman for the regional superior court in Hamburg, northern Germany, said Syrian-German national Mamoun Darkazanli must remain in investigative custody until the federal constitutional court has ruled on his expulsion. The constitutional tribunal accepted a last-minute appeal by Darkazanli's lawyers Wednesday after the lower court in Hamburg had ruled that he could be handed over to Spain. The constitutional court's decision may suspend his extradition for up to six months. Spain accuses Darkazanli of having provided the Al Qaeda terror network with logistical and financial support since 1997.