- Title: IRAQ: Military confirms the arrest of al Qaeda leader Abu Omar al-Baghdadi
- Date: 29th April 2009
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SPOKESMAN OF BAGHDAD SECURITY PLAN QASSIM AL-MOUSSAWI SAYING: "This is a specific and heroic act, it is a big victory that have been achieved by the Iraqi security forces within a specific and heroic duty and with a very quick reaction without any confrontations. The criminal was lured to a specific place, then captured." BAGHDAD, IRAQ (APRIL 28, 2009) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TRAFFIC SCENES IN THE CAPITAL BAGHDAD (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SAADOUN ABDULKADHIM, AN IRAQI CITIZEN SAYING: "This news is a big event in the history of the Iraqi people. These are the last hours for the al Qaeda organisation, insurgents and those who financed terrorism in all over the Arab homeland. So, we call for the executive, legislative and judicial sides to take the necessary procedures against this criminal and his followers in the region." TRAFFIC SCENE IN BAGHDAD (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MOHAMMED ABDULHUSSEIN, ANOTHER IRAQI CITIZEN, SAYING: "We are happy and all the Iraqi people are happy too. This criminal should be executed and we call upon the prime minister to execute him as soon as possible." MORE OF TRAFFIC SCENE IN BAGHDAD
- Embargoed: 14th May 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Iraq
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Defence / Military
- Reuters ID: LVA79176D3UCOVQH0H9Y5HF2891C
- Story Text: Iraq's military confirmed on Tuesday (April 28) the identity of a suspect captured last week as Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, believed to be head of the Islamic State of Iraq, an al Qaeda-linked group.
In a news conference held in the capital Baghdad, Brigadier General Qassim al-Moussawi, spokesman of the Baghdad Security Plan said, "according to an accurate intelligence information and a follow up operation that lasted for two months, the Iraqi security forces have managed on April 23, 2009 to arrest the criminal Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, head of al-Qaeda organisation in Iraq. This is considered as a specific operation in Iraq."
The arrest was carried out without American military assistance.
Moussawi added, "this is a specific and heroic act, it is a big victory that have been achieved by the Iraqi security forces within a specific and heroic duty and with a very quick reaction without any confrontations. The criminal was lured to a specific place, then captured."
Such an arrest could deal a blow to a weakened, yet still potent, insurgency in Iraq at a time when a rash of major bombings has cast a shadow over recent security gains.
Baghdadi is said to be the head of the Islamic State of Iraq, close to al Qaeda's main organisation in Iraq, which is led by Abu Ayyub al-Masri, also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir.
"This news is a big event in the history of the Iraqi people," said Saadoun Abdulkadhim, an Iraqi citizen. "These are the last hours for the al Qaeda organisation, insurgents and those who financed terrorism in all over the Arab homeland. So, we call for the executive, legislative and judicial sides to take the necessary procedures against this criminal and his his followers in the region."
Another Baghdad resident, Mohammed Abdulhussein, said Iraqis were delighted by the news. "This criminal should be executed and we call upon the prime minister to execute him as soon as possible," he added.
Some experts have said they remain unconvinced that Abu Omar al-Baghdadi actually exists.
They believe he is a fictional character invented by al Qaeda in Iraq as a kind of corporate logo, a product of a propaganda initiative to put an Iraqi figurehead at the top of an organisation that is otherwise foreign-run.
Baghdadi is often the mouthpiece on Islamist websites. His arrest and killing have been reported before.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told the BBC that the man was Baghdadi, and said that results of an investigation would be released. The U.S. military has not yet confirmed that it believes the man was in fact Baghdadi.
Iraqi officials have in the past claimed to have captured senior al Qaeda operatives who later turned out to have been mistakenly identified.
In May last year, Iraqi officials wrongly said they had caught Masri when they mistook one of his ordinary foot soldiers for him. U.S. officials say Masri is still at large.
The widespread killing unleashed by the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq has subsided, but insurgents continue to carry out attacks. Last week, 150 people were killed in major attacks in two days alone. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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