Top level Al Qaeda operative captured

According to CNN, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, one of the terrorists involved in the African embassy bombings was captured last Sunday in Pakistan. There's no mention in the article of why it took so long for the story to be covered by the media. BBC confirms the report.

Rumors are also flying in the blogosphere that Al Zarqawi, the Jordanian terrorist responsible for some much death and destruction in Iraq has been captured. No confirmation yet, but if true, it would be amazing news. Two top leaders in one week? It sounds too good to be true. Remember, back in June the rumors were flying that Zarqawi had been captured, and those were quickly denied.

According to LexisNexis (sorry, no link), the BBC's MIddle East section reports that an Arabic website had this story:

Text of report by Najah Muhammad Ali in Tehran: "Unconfirmed Reports of Al-Zarqawi's Arrest", published by Elaph web site on 29 July

Iraqi sources are talking about the possible arrest of Abu-Mus'ab al-Zarqawi, the main suspect leader of widespread bombings and assassinations inside Iraq. Iraquna web site reported that the arrest was made after a campaign of raids and chases by a joint force from the multinational and Iraqi security forces. Al-Zarqawi was arrested at the outskirts of Hudaythah town, which is close to the Syrian-Iraqi border.

The web site cited some Iraqi police commanders as telling people close to them that American and Iraqi investigators are trying to verify the detainee's identity and a sample of his blood has been sent to a laboratory for a DNA test.

According to these sources, Al-Zarqawi admitted from the first moment that there is prearranged coordination with the so-called Saddam Fedayeen and that he had received 1bn dollars sum as published before the downfall of Saddam's regime in coordination with Qusay. Investigators who took part in the first investigations sessions with the person believed to be Abu-Mus'ab al-Zarqawi asserted that he was threatened that, unless he confessed immediately, he would be left in Al-Tahrir Square, people would be told to come to see him, and the Iraqis would be let loose on him. He provided the Iraqi police with information about the Monotheism and Jihad Group's places and hideouts, their addresses and the means of contacting them. It became apparent that the majority of the places and centres for handing over instructions and sometimes weapons were in the western areas, in addition to few terrorist centres distributed between Baghdad and some southern provinces.

The sources added that the detainee was wearing jeans and a white shirt when he was arrested and did not put up any worthwhile resistance after finding out that the house he was in was completely encircled and after helicopters began to help the Iraqi police in their mission. The multinational and Iraqi security forces continue to encircle the area where Al-Zarqawi was believed to be arrested.