US troops in Saddam Hussein's hometown arrested a man in a night-time raid today and said he was suspected of organising guerrilla attacks on American forces in Iraq.
The middle-aged man, whose name was not given, was handcuffed and blindfolded before being driven away from his home by US forces for further interrogation.
"The individual that we were targeting tonight we believe is involved in organising attacks on US forces, in moving arms for those attacks and also providing security for members of the (Saddam) regime," Lieutenant-Colonel Steve Russell told reporters at the scene.
No shots were fired and the man appeared to give no resistance.
Asked how close the detained man may have been to the fugitive Iraqi leader, Lieutenant-Colonel Russell said: "We won't be able to determine that immediately."
Senior US officers in Tikrit said two other Saddam loyalists were arrested during the day, the latest in a series of captures that soldiers say may bring them closer to Saddam himself.