NEW YORK. Oct 9: The first fugitive charged with allegedly having a direct operational role in last year's bombing of the US embassy in Tanzania has been arrested, and pleaded not guilty in a US federal court on Friday, reports Reuters.

The defendant. Khalfan Khamis Mohamed. 26. of Tanzania was arrested in Cape Town. South Africa several days ago and turned over to US authorities. He arrived in New York on Thursday night and entered his not guilty plea during a brief hearing before US District Judge Leonard Sand.

A total of 17 defendants, including Saudi exile Osama bin Laden, have been charged for allegedly conspiring to plan attacks on Americans abroad including the bombings of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya.

At least 226 people were killed and more than 4.000 wounded in the August 1998 embassy attacks, most of them in the Kenyan capital. Nairobi. Eleven people died in the explosion in the Tanzanian capital.

Dar es Salaam.

Manhattan US Attorney Mary Jo White told a news conference that Mohamed had been living in Cape Town under the assumed name of Zahran Nas-sor Maulid and had obtained a Tanzanian passport under that name. Authorities said he had a "low-profile" job in Cape Town.

She said he was the first of a group of fugitives charged in the case who have been arrested for "direct operational responsibility" for the bombing at the Tanzanian embassy.

Of the 17 people charged, six defendants including Mohamed are now held in the United States, three are in England and eight, including bin-Laden, remain fugitives.

White said Mohamed's arrest should be a stern reminder to anyone who played any role in the embassy bombings that "law enforcement authorities literally around the world will not stop investigating, searching. capturing and prosecuting until all responsible are brought to justice."