Iraqi Army: Al Qaeda in Iraq Leader Nabbed
Abu Ayyub al-Masri also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir 9 May 2008 00:08 Africa/Lagos Iraqi Army: Al Qaeda in Iraq Leader Nabbed From CBS/The Associated Press WASHINGTON, May 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was arrested in the northern city of Mosul, the Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman said Thursday. Spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said the arrest of al-Masri, also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, was confirmed to him by the Iraqi commander of the province. Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said that Mosul police "arrested one of al Qaeda's leaders at midnight and during the primary investigations he admitted that he is Abu Hamza Al-Muhajir." If confirmed, the arrest would represent a major blow to al Qaeda in Iraq, which has been on the run for the past year following a shift in alliances by Sunni tribesmen in western Anbar province, and elsewhere, and an influx of thousands of U.S. troops. The U.S....