Pakistan arrested al Qaeda’s purported “No. 3″ guy, Abu Farraj al-Libbi this week. According to the country’s Information Minister:

“This is a very important day for us This arrest gives us a lot of tips, and I can only say that our security agencies are on the right track” in the hunt for bin Laden.

This morning, President Bush made a point of praising the arrest:

During an appearance to talk about Social Security, Bush praised the government of Pakistan for the arrest earlier this week of Abu Farraj al-Libbi.

Bush called him “a major facilitator and a chief planner” for Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida terror network and said that his arrest “removes a dangerous enemy who is a direct threat to America and for those who love freedom.”

“I applaud the Pakistani government for their strong cooperation in the war on terror,” the president said, adding that the Pakistanis had acted on “solid intelligence” to bring him to justice and vowing that those fighting terrorism will “stay on the offensive the offensive until al-Qaida is defeated.”

Al-Libbi is suspected of planning attacks in the U.S. and around the world. On to No. 2 and No. 1.