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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Top militant 'arrested in Iraq' | Top militant 'arrested in Iraq' |
| (19 minutes later) | |
| Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has said that a man arrested in Baghdad last week is thought to be a top figure in the al-Qaeda-related insurgency. | Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has said that a man arrested in Baghdad last week is thought to be a top figure in the al-Qaeda-related insurgency. |
| Mr Maleki told the BBC Abu Omar al-Baghdadi had been tracked for more than two months by Iraqi security services. | Mr Maleki told the BBC Abu Omar al-Baghdadi had been tracked for more than two months by Iraqi security services. |
| His arrest was reported last Thursday but the reports were not confirmed. | His arrest was reported last Thursday but the reports were not confirmed. |
| Baghdadi is a nom de guerre for a shadowy figure thought to lead the Islamic State in Iraq, an umbrella group of radical Sunni factions. | Baghdadi is a nom de guerre for a shadowy figure thought to lead the Islamic State in Iraq, an umbrella group of radical Sunni factions. |
| In an exclusive interview with the BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad, Mr Maliki disclosed that a purely Iraqi intelligence operation had tracked the wanted man's movements from the inside. | In an exclusive interview with the BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad, Mr Maliki disclosed that a purely Iraqi intelligence operation had tracked the wanted man's movements from the inside. |
| Nom de guerre | |
| He had been identified by former close associates who had worked with him, and attended his inauguration as leader of the Islamic State in Iraq, which is affiliated to al-Qaeda in Iraq. | He had been identified by former close associates who had worked with him, and attended his inauguration as leader of the Islamic State in Iraq, which is affiliated to al-Qaeda in Iraq. |
| Prime Minister Maliki said Mr Baghdadi was being interrogated, and that the results would be made public. | Prime Minister Maliki said Mr Baghdadi was being interrogated, and that the results would be made public. |
| Abu Omar al-Baghdadi is a shadowy figure - some American commanders have even cast doubt on his very existence, our correspondent says. | Abu Omar al-Baghdadi is a shadowy figure - some American commanders have even cast doubt on his very existence, our correspondent says. |
| The name is a nom de guerre - Iraqi officials say his real name is Ahmad al-Mjamei, though he has also been known under other names. | The name is a nom de guerre - Iraqi officials say his real name is Ahmad al-Mjamei, though he has also been known under other names. |
| The capture or killing of other senior al-Qaeda or related leaders in the past has not on its own made a perceptible difference to the state of the insurgency, our correspondent adds. | The capture or killing of other senior al-Qaeda or related leaders in the past has not on its own made a perceptible difference to the state of the insurgency, our correspondent adds. |
| Protest | |
| The arrest of Baghdadi on Thursday came amid an upsurge of the violence in Iraq. | |
| About 150 were killed in just two days, sparking fears of a slide back into the bloody chaos that was a hallmark of Iraq following the US-led invasion. | |
| Meanwhile on Sunday, a woman was shot dead during a US raid on a house in the southern Iraqi town of Kut in which at least five people were arrested. | |
| The US military said she had been nearby during the operation, and had moved into the line of fire. | |
| But the death was condemned as a crime by the local provincial council, and hundreds of people gathered at the local morgue to protest, reported the Associated Press news agency. |