Has ‘Baghdad Bob’ been captured?

June 24, 2003

Has “Baghdad Bob” been captured?

Muhammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, aka ‘Baghdad Bob’

A British tabloid newspaper reports the former information minister of Iraq who became globally known for stretching the truth has been arrested at a roadblock in a Baghdad suburb.

According to the Daily Mirror, Muhammed Saeed al-Sahhaf had been hiding at a relative’s home watching satellite television, but was caught Monday night.

“He has some serious talking to do … this time,” the Mirror quotes a “senior coalition source” as saying.

There was no immediate reaction from Washington, and no independent confirmation of the report, according to Reuters.

As WorldNetDaily reported earlier this month, another British paper, the Mail on Sunday, claimed its reporters found Sahhaf alive and well, still living in Baghdad, ending speculation he committed suicide or fled the country.

“Saddam’s mouthpiece is cowering in his modest home, terrified his own people will kill him,” said the Mail.

Sahhaf became an international star in the final days of fighting, making hard-to-believe claims about Iraqi successes and U.S. failures, including:

“Let the American infidels bask in their illusion”;
“My feelings – as usual – we will slaughter them all”;
“We have placed them in a quagmire from which they can never emerge except dead”;
“God will roast their stomachs in hell at the hands of Iraqis”;
“I triple guarantee you, there are no American soldiers in Baghdad.”

Hassan Abbas, a government worker, told the Mail, “We hate al-Sahhaf for claiming Baghdad was safe. He was still shouting at us on TV while I was hiding under my desk in a hail of bullets. Many people want to kill him.”

The Mail report described Sahhaf as “a broken man, spending his days pacing his study in his uniform and green beret.”

“Iraqi Dis-Information Minister” doll

With or without his knowledge or blessing, Baghdad Bob has become a marketing success, with action figures with his likeness being sold in the U.S., and TV commercials featuring Sahhaf hitting the airwaves.