 Security forces have captured a reputed key member of Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi's al-Qaida in Iraq terrorist group who is accused of building and selling cars used by suicide bombers, the government said Tuesday. Jassim Hazan Hamadi al-Bazi, also known as Abu Ahmed, was arrested June 7, it said in an announcement. It added that he was part of an al-Qaida cell run by a man identified as Hussayn Ibrahim. Al-Qaida in Iraq and other extremist Islamic groups have been blamed for many of the suicide car bombings, beheadings and attacks that have killed at least 1,009 people since the Shiite-led government was announced on April 28. According to the announcement, al-Bazi built and sold remote-controlled bombs used in roadside attacks from an electronic repair shop in Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad.
It added that al-Bazi sold the bombs for about $18,000 each "and was involved in building suicide vehicle" bombs and land mines that were used in Balad and Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad. One such suicide car bomb attack Monday in Samarra - and an ensuing gunbattle between insurgents and police - killed three policemen and a civilian. The government statement said al-Bazi "was also an active weapons dealer selling missiles, guns, mortars and hand grenades. Iraqi security officials believe he is a primary suspect for providing weapons and the training for attacks against the Iraqi people, the Iraqi government and the Iraqi security forces."
|