Doubts over al Qaida leader capture
Iraqi police commandos have claimed to have captured the leader of al Qaida in Iraq in a raid in the northern city of Mosul.
However, the US military said there were "no operational reports" to confirm the capture of the leader of al Qaida in Iraq as stated by Iraqi officials, adding the capture of another insurgent might have caused confusion.
Iraqi defence ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said the arrest of Abu Ayyub al-Masri - also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir - was reported by the Iraqi commander in Mosul, where insurgents have sought to establish a foothold after being widely uprooted from Baghdad and surrounding areas last year.
Interior ministry spokesman Major General Abdul-Karim Khalaf said the arrest occurred "at midnight - and during the primary investigations the suspect had admitted that he is Abu Hamza Al-Muhajir".
There have been false alarms in the past about Al-Masri.
At least twice - in 2006 and May 2007 - reports circulated that Al-Masri was dead, but they were later proved wrong.
