Pakistan has made no decision on the extradition of Ramzi Binalshibh, the alleged September 11th plotter who was arrested last week in Karachi.
However, an official says "as a matter of principle," the Pakistani government routinely hands over al Qaeda suspects to the United States.
Binalshibh and at least nine other men remained under interrogation by US intelligence agencies.
American authorities are primarily responsible for questioning the suspects, but they technically remain in Pakistani custody.
Germany says it is requesting the extradition of Binalshibh for his part in a Hamburg-based al-Qaeda cell that planned the September 11th attacks last year.
The cell included Mohammed Atta, the suspected ringleader of the hijackers and one of the pilots who destroyed the World Trade Centre.
Binalshibh has claimed to be the coordinator of the four simultaneous hijackings.
The Interior Ministry official said extradition papers "are on our desk," but a decision had not yet been taken. He did not specify whether the request came from Germany.
No public indictment has been issued against Binalshibh in the United States.
He could be charged in a US court, or the government may ask Pakistan to hand him over as an enemy combatant, which would bypass stringent US legal requirements.
PA
