Iraq's government has captured Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hasan al-Tikriti, a highly wanted half-brother of Saddam Hussein and a suspected leading organiser of the post-war insurgency
Damascus is believed to have been coerced by the United States into handing over the former aide to deposed dictator Saddam.
'The Syrian authorities, because of the tremendous pressure on them, did something about Ibrahim,' a source described as a 'senior government official' told Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity in Baghdad.
'Having so many problems on their plate at the moment, the Syrians were willing partners in this, but the Americans and we were also involved.'
Thair al-Naqib, a spokesman for the Iraqi government, said Mr Tikriti had been arrested 'on the Syrian-Iraqi borders'.
The arrest is a encouraging sign that Damascus is tightening its border controls in recent weeks in response to accusations that militants were using them to cross into Iraq.
Syria has also now closed down the Damascus office of Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad after it claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack in Tel Aviv late last week.
Tikriti, a maternal half-brother of Saddam Hussein, was number 36 on the list of wanted former Baathist officials issued by the Americans after the 2003 invasion.
Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's office said he had 'killed and tortured Iraqi people' and accused him of 'planning, supervising and carrying out many terrorist acts in Iraq'.
He has been closely involved in Iraq's military affairs during Saddam's rein. He was head of the Saddam regime's intelligence services during the 1991 Gulf War, and then chief of general security until 1996 before becoming a presidential adviser.
Andrew Zilouf
Saddam Brother 'Given Up'
A highly wanted half-brother is in Iraqi custody.
