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Insurgent leader 'held' in Iraq

Iraqi forces captured al-Baghdadi in the Abu Ghraib area of the city
A key leader of an al-Qaeda linked insurgent group has been arrested in Iraq, according to media reports.
Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the self-styled leader of the Sunni Arab group the Islamic State in Iraq, was captured in the Abu Ghraib district of Baghdad.

An Iraqi government official said Mr al-Baghdadi had been arrested after intelligence tip-offs.

He heads an umbrella group of Sunni insurgent movements fighting the Iraqi government and US troops in Iraq.

"He was captured this afternoon by Iraqi forces with several of his aides as a result of receiving intelligence tips," the government source told AFP news agency.

No other immediate confirmation of the report from official sources was available.

His group is believed to be behind a series of attacks in Iraq, including the kidnapping of at least 18 police officers last week who were subsequently killed.

Security sources said he was also among militants who stormed a prison near the northern city of Mosul, freeing some 140 prisoners.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6436569.stm