Saddam: 'We got him'
2003-12-14 14:53
Baghdad - Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been captured alive in his home town of Tikrit. The US has told the world: "We got him."
US administrator Paul Bremer told a packed press conference: "Ladies and Gentlemen, we got him."
He said it is a great day for Iraqis and added that "the tyrant is a prisoner".
Red Dawn
Operation Red Dawn, to kill or capture Saddam, was carried out at 20:00 local time on Saturday night by special operations forces.
Saddam is now being held under tight security and has been described as "talkative and co-operative".
Dug out
Saddam was dug out of a hole in a cellar by US soldiers with shovels, after he buried himself to avoid capture.
US forces, backed by Kurdish troops, found the cellar in a house in a poverty-stricken area. Saddam was asleep at the time.
DNA and medical tests have been carried out and the 66-year-old's identity confirmed.
He is currently under tight security in detention and three members of the Iraqi Governing Council have been invited to visually identify him.
Saddam, who had been on the run since the US took Baghdad on April 9, was found with a suitcase containing $750 000 in cash.
No resistance
Ahmad Chalabi, a leader of the Iraqi National Congress (INC), has said Saddam, who was captured without resistance, will probably be put on trial.
Chalabi told Iraqi television: "He was arrested without resistance and there was enough time for him before that to commit suicide if he wanted but he did not."
A top Iraqi official said US administrator Paul Bremer called Iraqi leaders by telephone to tell them the news.
The news is spreading around Iraq rapidly and hundreds of exultant people have taken to the streets of Kirkuk and Baghdad firing weapons into the air in celebration.
Saddam was at the top of the US most wanted list, appearing as the "ace of spades" in the pack of cards depicting former Iraqi leaders.
Washington put a $25m reward on his head.
Saddam's sons Uday and Qusay Hussein were killed in a raid in July.