Iraq announces arrest of Saddam-era official

Iraqi forces have arrested Abd al-Baqi al-Saadun, one of the most senior officials from Saddam Hussein’s regime still at large, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said today.

“The intelligence service was able to arrest the wanted man Abd al-Baqi al-Saadun,” Abadi announced in a televised speech. A senior intelligence officer said Saadun was arrested on Thursday “without resistance” in the northern province of Kirkuk following an operation that lasted more than a year.