The breaking news sidebar is certainly full. :-D :-D
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Without a single shot being fired, U.S. military forces captured former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as he hid in the bottom of a hole in a home near Tikrit, officials announced at a Baghdad press conference.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we got him," L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Iraq, announced.
Officials showed a videotape of the former Iraqi dictator and most-wanted figure by the U.S.-led coalition as he was being inspected following his capture. He had a long black-and-grey beard and unkempt hair.
About 600 U.S. troops took part in Operation Red Dawn, said Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top American general in Iraq. Two other Iraqis were captured along with Saddam, who was found with $750,000 in U.S. currency, Sanchez said.
Sanchez said he had no idea how long Saddam had been at the Tikrit location and could not say if anyone had stepped forward to claim the multi-million dollar reward for his capture.
"Today is a great day for Iraq and the Iraqi people," Sanchez said.
Saddam is talkative and is being cooperative, Sanchez said. He is being held at an undisclosed location.
A delegation of the Iraqi Governing Council hopes to visit Saddam in captivity later Sunday, a spokesman for the council said.
"With the arrest of Saddam, the source financing terrorists has been destroyed and terrorist attacks will come to an end. Now we can establish a durable stability and security in Iraq," said council member Jalal Talabani.
In Baghdad, residents fired small arms in the air in celebration, and gunfire echoed in neighborhoods across the city. Earlier in the day, rumors of the capture sent people streaming into the streets of Kirkuk, a northern Iraqi city, firing guns in the air in celebration.
"We are celebrating like it's a wedding," said Kirkuk resident Mustapha Sheriff. "We are finally rid of that criminal."
"This is the joy of a lifetime," said Ali Al-Bashiri, another resident. "I am speaking on behalf of all the people that suffered under his rule."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.