'Top al-Qaeda financier' held
2007-03-18 16:25
Baghdad - Iraqi forces have arrested an Iraqi-born Palestinian suspected of acting as a financier for the al-Qaeda network, military spokesperson Qassim Mussawi said on Sunday.
Mussawi said Mahmud Hamed Kamal al-Mathi - also known as "Abu Qutada the Palestinian" - was seized by troops on Saturday in Bab al-Moadham, a district of central Baghdad.
In a video of the suspect's interrogation shown to reporters, the 24-year-old bearded militant confirms his arrest and admits he received money from outside Iraq to fund insurgent attacks.
"We found him with CDs, special evidence and documents related to the al-Qaeda network, and in his initial interrogation he admitted many crimes against the Iraqi people," Mussawi said.
Mathi was born in Iraq to Palestinian refugee parents.
- AFP