Sabawi Ibrahim Hasan, Saddam Hussein’s half brother and former adviser who was suspected of financing insurgents after U.S. troops ousted the ex-dictator, has been captured, officials in the prime minister’s office said Sunday.
Hasan is No. 36 on the list of 55 most-wanted Iraqis released by U.S. authorities after troops invaded Iraq in March 2003, and one of only 12 remaining at large. He is also suspected of financing insurgents in the post-Saddam era, and Washington had put a $1 million bounty on his head.
Officials in interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi’s office, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, confirmed Hasan’s capture but gave no details on where it took place or when. It was also not immediately known whether Iraqi forces or U.S. troops had detained Hasan.
Under Saddam, Hasan served as head of intelligence and security before taking up his last post of presidential adviser in the former regime.
He is also known as Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hasan al-Tikriti, aka Thafir Alsemak.
Besides the list of the 55 most wanted, Hasan is among the 29 most-wanted supporters of insurgent groups in Iraq, according to U.S. Central Command.
Saddam’s two other half brothers, Barzan and Watban, were captured in April 2003 and are expected to stand trial along with Saddam at the Iraqi Special Tribunal. Both appeared before the special court in Baghdad with Saddam and a handful of others to hear preliminary accusations against them.
