A key leader of Islamic State of Iraq , an al-Qaeda-inspired insurgent group, has been arrested, an Iraqi military spokesman said. Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the self-styled leader of the Sunni Arab group the Islamic State in Iraq, was captured in the Abu Ghraib district of Baghdad, the BBC reported. He heads an umbrella group of Sunni insurgent movements fighting the government and U.S. troops in Iraq. "He was captured this afternoon by Iraqi forces with several of his aides as a result of receiving intelligence tips," an Iraqi government official said. No other immediate confirmation of the report from official sources was available.
Al-Baghdadi's group is believed to be behind a series of attacks in Iraq , including the kidnapping of at least 18 police officers last week who were subsequently killed. Security sources said he was also among militants who stormed a prison near the northern city of Mosul, allowing some 140 prisoners to escape.