 IRAQ said today the arrest of two lieutenants of Islamic extremist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, one of whom was said to be plotting election day attacks and was implicated in the 2003 bombing of the UN Baghdad headquarters. "Iraqi security forces arrested January 15 Sami Mohammad Said al-Jaf, also known as Abu Omar al-Kurdi, who was one of Zarqawi's deputies," the government said in a statement. "Abu Omar al-Kurdi was responsible for 32 attacks including the (August 2003) car bombing" of the UN headquarters in Baghdad that killed more 20 people including UN representative in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. Kurdi was planning attacks on polling stations in Baghdad for election day, the statement said. A second man identified as Hassan Hamad Abdullah Mohsen al-Duleimi who was in charge of "propaganda" for Zarqawi, was arrested on January 14. |