Iraqi Gov't Press Release on Arrest of Zarqawi Aide "Abul Abbas" (a.k.a. Ammar Adnan al-Zubaydi)

By Evan Kohlmann

This from the Government Communications Directorate of the Republic of Iraq:

"The Iraqi security forces in Iraq have arrested the terrorist Ammar Adnan Mohammed Hamza Al-Zubaydi, also known as "Abul-Abbas," and he is considered one of the closest people to [Abu Musab] al-Zarqawi.  The arrest took place during a raid on an area of Baghdad on May 5, 2005.  Abul-Abbas was involved in planning the terrorist attacks that were executed last month on in the area of Abu Ghraib.  In addition, he has been involved in a number of car bomb attacks that took place on April 29 in different areas of Baghdad.  Additionally, the Zarqawi network... has previously taken responsibility for the attacks that took place on the listed dates, attacks which led to the deaths of dozens of innocent civilians."

"Moreover, Abul-Abbas has been involved in planning several assassination operations and he directly supervised the terrorist attacks that have taken place in the last few weeks.  Abul-Abbas supported the terrorists by [providing] explosive devices, in choosing the targets, in arranging the tasks among the suicide [bombers], and in facilitating the entrance of foreign mujahideen into Iraq.  Security forces found several documents in the house of Abul-Abbas during his arrest.  These documents included some intelligence materials and a plot to assassinate a known figure in the Iraqi government.  He also confessed that he had stolen approximately 400 rockets and 720 boxes containing explosive materials from a storage facility in Al-Yousifiya at the beginning of 2003.  He claimed that he had buried some of that ammunition in his field located in Al-Yousifiya.  He mentioned that there was no ammunition left after part of it was used to build car bombs and explosive devices, and the other part was destroyed by security forces.  Among the confession he made was that he supplied the terrorist Abu Omar al-Kurdi (an individual who has been involved in more than 75% of the car bombs in Iraq) with ammunition.  Abu Omar was also arrested on a different occasion while trying to hide a number of explosives in his field.  It is important to mention that the arrests of the terrorists Abul-Abbas and Ghassan Ameen (Ameer Rawah) have given the Iraqi security forces much information about the [Zarqawi] network in Iraq and about their logistical support for suicide [bombers], foreign [fighters], and Iraqis."

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