ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A Tanzanian al-Qaida suspect wanted in the 1998 bombings at U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania has been arrested in Pakistan and is giving authorities "very valuable" information, the interior minister said.

Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani - who is on the FBI's list of 22 most wanted terrorists, with a reward of up to $25 million on his head - was arrested Sunday in the eastern city of Gujrat along with at least 15 other people, Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayyat told The Associated Press today.

A U.S. official confirmed the capture of Ghailani and said it is a significant development because he is an al-Qaida operative and facilitator who has been indicted for his role in the east Africa bombings.

Pakistan today said so far it has not received any request from the United States for Ghailani's extradition. "So far they have not made any such request, but we are expecting it because Ghailani is believed to be responsible for killing Americans," said Abdul Rauf Chaudhry, spokesman for Pakistan's Interior Ministry.

He said Pakistan would consider Ghailani's extradition under a law if the United States made such request. "But, first we would like to interrogate him thoroughly to check his links with other people in Pakistan."

Hayyat said Ghailani had apparently been living in Pakistan for some time, but it was not clear how long, or how he entered the country. Gujrat is an industrial city surrounded by rice and sugar cane fields, not known as a haven for militancy or extremism.

He said Ghailani has given authorities some useful information. Hayyat would not speculate on whether the suspect was planning any attacks in the United States or Pakistan.

"It would be premature to say anything about this, but obviously we have certain information, some very valuable and useful leads have been acquired," he said.

Ghailani may be able to shed further light on the 1998 embassy bombings or have information about terror cells or al-Qaida operatives, particularly in east Africa, the official said on condition of anonymity.

Mohammed Sadiq Odeh, who was convicted in the African embassy bombings, told the FBI that he joined the rest of the East Africa al-Qaida cell in Nairobi on Aug. 6, 1998, and flew to Karachi on a Kenyan Airways flight before the bombs even exploded, according to a court transcript. That was the last known sighting of Ghailani until his arrest six years later.

"This is a big success," Hayyat told Pakistan's Geo television network. "As a result of our investigation, it became clear that he was a major figure wanted for the bombings," Hayyat said.

Ghailani rented a house there with help from two militants in an outlawed Pakistani extremist group, a senior security official said on condition of anonymity. He said Ghailani "was planning to flee Pakistan by using fake travel documents," but gave no details on the possible destination.

Ghailani, thought to be in his early 30s, was indicted on Dec. 16, 1998 in the Southern District of New York for his alleged role in the embassy bombings, which killed more than 200 people, including 12 Americans.

He is suspected of buying the truck used as the vehicle bomb in the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in which 12 people were killed.

He could face the death penalty if convicted of the charges, which include murder of U.S. nationals outside the United States, conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals outside the United States, and attack on a federal facility resulting in death.

Ghailani, who also goes by the names "Foopie," "Fupi" and "Ahmed the Tanzanian," was also one of seven wanted al-Qaida suspects that the FBI and Justice Department asked for help in finding in May to help avert a possible terror attack over the summer in the United States.

It was not clear if the suspects were planning any attacks in Pakistan or simply using the country to hide out.