(AP/Los Angeles Times) Iraqi officials said Sunday that Syria captured and handed over Saddam Hussein's half brother, Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan, a most-wanted leader in the Sunni-based insurgency, ending months of Syrian denials that it was harboring fugitives from the ousted Saddam regime. Some 29 other fugitive Baath Party members were handed over to Iraqi authorities as well. Al-Hassan was No. 36 on the list of 55 most-wanted Iraqis complied by U.S. authorities; 11 from the deck remain at large. The U.S. had offered $1 million for his capture. Under Saddam, al-Hassan led the dreaded General Security Directorate, responsible for internal security and cracking down on political factions that opposed the Iraqi leader. Al-Hassan was accused of the widespread torture of political opponents.
2005-02-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive