http://msnbc.msn.com/ID/3708151/ Saddam Hussein reportedly arrested in Tikrit No U.S. confirmation of report from IranThe Associated Press Updated: 5:21 a.m. ET Dec. 14, 2003TEHRAN, Iran - Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has been detained in Iraq, Iran's official news agency reported Sunday. advertisement "Saddam Hussein was arrested in his hometown of Tikrit," IRNA quoted top Iraqi leader, Jalal Talabani as saying. It gave no further details. In Iraq, a separate rumor that Saddam was captured or killed near Tikrit sent hundreds of exultant people into the streets of this northern Iraqi city Sunday. They fired in the air in celebration and congratulated each other. In Baghdad, a spokeswoman for the U.S.-led occupation notified reporters that a "very important" announcement will be made at a news conference scheduled for 7 a.m. EST, but did not say who would be the speaker. The spokeswoman requested anonymity. In Tikrit, rumors that the former dictator was in custody were making the rounds, but reporters attached to the 4th Infantry Division, the U.S. unit in charge of security in the area, said there was no unusual activity there overnight or early Sunday. "We are celebrating like it's a wedding," said Mustapha Sheriff, a resident of Kirkuk. "We are finally rid of that criminal." "This is the joy of a lifetime," said Ali Al-Bashiri, another Kirkuk resident. "I am speaking on behalf of all the people that suffered under his rule." Saddam, who ruled Iraq for 23 years until his ouster in April, has been a fugitive since then with a $25 million bounty on his head. Rumors about Saddam's capture or death periodically surface, and a hotline set up by the occupation authorities for tips on his whereabouts is flooded with callers.
According to Foxnews, there are multiple sources confirming this news story (from the highest levels of government), that infact, "testing" - DNA testing - is ongoing at this very moment...
I am watching FOX and CNN simultaneously. They are going to announce if he has really been caught at 7am est. 6 central. There is celebratory gunfire going on through out bagdad now. Damn this is good news if they really got him.
No kidding. This is great news (if he is captured). This will break up the baath party power (the strength) if they lose Saddam.
The President of the Iraqi Governing Council just said that DNA tests prove that the guy captured is Saddam. Saddam is apparently sporting a beard now.
Constant running, ducking, anxiety attacks, and lack of fast food joints to grab a really quick bite in Tikrit can do that.
Yeah, I heard he had a long gray beard and lost a lot of weight. Then just now CNN said he had a fake beard. They appear to be confirming it now. Latest reports straight out of Madrid: Confirmed, Saddam Huesien has been captured. Saddam was taken from the cellar sleeping, taking completely by surprise. 40min from now will be the "Final, FInal, Final" confirmation by US and Iraqi gov.
Good that they're capturing him, if true. It'll be really interesting what happens with him. Going to be a political hot potato. Bush can do what whatever he wants, in reality... but I wonder if there would be backlash. But if anybody deserves the death penalty, he does. If it weren't for the fact that he might have valuable information, it might have been best had he died in battle.
This is a very intense moment for the US --- lets hope it's true. U.S. believes Saddam captured Sunday, December 14, 2003 (CNN) -- Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is believed to have been captured in a raid near his hometown of Tikrit, U.S. military officials say. However, the officials in Washington told CNN on Sunday that the identity of the individual, who was one of a number of suspected insurgents caught, was still being confirmed. The person in U.S. custody was disguised in a fake beard when he was captured in the basement in a Tikrit building, Ahmad Chalabi of the Iraqi National Congress said. Hours after the word leaked out on the possible capture, there were volleys of what was perceived to be celebratory gunfire in Baghdad. A coalition news conference in Baghdad, scheduled for 3 p.m (1200 GMT), is expected to shed more light on the status of the Iraqi leader. A briefing in Madrid by the Iraqi Governing Council president and Spanish foreign minister was also expected shortly. The raid was based on intelligence that Saddam was at a particular location in the area, the officials said. Video following that raid -- exclusively shot by CNN's Alphonso Van Marsh -- showed a group of U.S.-led coalition soldiers patting each other on the back -- apparently in celebration -- and taking group photos in front of a military vehicle. The 66-year-old longtime Iraqi leader was number one on the coalition's 55 most wanted list, and his evasion has been a political sore spot for the U.S. administration. The Iraq war began on March 19 when U.S. forces launched a "decapitation attack" aimed at the Iraqi president and other top members of the country's leadership. Hours later, a defiant Saddam wearing a military uniform appeared on Iraqi television to denounce the U.S.-led military campaign as "criminal" and to say his countrymen would be victorious. At least a dozen audiotapes believed to have been recorded by Saddam, 66, have been released since he was forced out of power by the coalition forces during the Iraq war. The most recent was broadcast in November. His sons Uday and Qusay -- also on the coalition's most wanted list -- were killed in July, after U.S. forces stormed their hideout in Mosul. Initial hopes that their father would soon be found faded in the months following that raid. Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the commander of U.S. ground forces in Iraq, has been dogged by reporters wanting to know the status of the search for Saddam. "It is difficult to find him," Sanchez said, at a press briefing earlier this month. "Given that I haven't found him killed him or captured him, and I need the Iraqi people's help, and together we will find him, we will capture him, we will kill him." The announcement comes on the same day that 20 people were killed and 32 wounded by a car bomb outside an Iraqi police station west of Baghdad, an Iraqi police officer told CNN. Sixteen policemen were among those killed in Sunday's explosion at Khaldiyah, 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the Iraqi capital, the officer added.
Captured unhurt --- this is going to be so interesting as to what happens next, I never thought we would take him alive. Saddam on trial --- this is really unbelievable.
Breaking news Saddam captured this could change the world --- where do I come first to get updated information? The Clutch BBS --- Is this a good thing or a bad thing? (good) I really did come here as soon as I came home after I heard it on the radio in my car. The opinions here are so much better than talking head on the TV.
Anyone know where to find a live internet broadcast of the press conference? I know it will be on TV but they usually don't show the entire thing and it's sometimes hard to hear all the questions. I use to go to MSNBC to use their live video but they seemed to have changed formats and I need to download some player now. I have never been able to use FOX's live video too.
This will have to be covered completely on every major news network. There has been a countdown to press conferences on all the major networks. 9 minutes says Rather until a briefing.
