Pakistan may extradite the brother of a man arrested in Birmingham over the alleged plane terror plot, the country's Foreign Ministry said yesterday.
Tasnim Aslam said the British government had made no request for the extradition of Rashid Rauf, whose brother Tayib was held.
Rauf was detained last week in eastern Pakistan and described as a "key person" in an alleged plan to blow up as many as ten trans-Atlantic passenger aircraft from London.
"We do not have any extradition treaty at the moment but yes, because he is a British national, the possibility of his extradition remains there," Aslam said.
British High Commission spokesman Aidan Liddle said Pakistan has not yet responded to a request seeking confirmation of any British nationals being in Pakistani custody.
But Aslam added that Pakistani security authorities co-operated closely with Britain's Home Office and intelligence officials before arresting Rauf on August 4.
Pakistani officials have said Rauf, who is believed to have links to al Qaida, and 16 other suspects, including at least one other British national, have been arrested in Pakistan in relation to the plot.
Aslam also rejected reports of Islamic charities being involved in transferring money to people allegedly linked to the plot and detained in Pakistan.
She repeated Pakistani assertions that al Qaida militants in neighbouring Afghanistan were behind the London terror plot.
"In our view this was an al Qaida operation - al Qaida based in Afghanistan," Aslam said.
