Saddam was captured hiding in an underground hole near a house near the village of Aghwar, not far from Tikrit. He was disguised in a beard and long hair (apparently real) , at about 8:30 PM local time on Saturday, December 13, in operation "Red Dawn" following intelligence tips apparently provided by Kurdish guerilla forces. Saddam was found with two Kalashnikovs and $750,000 in cash. He was not injured in the capture and is cooperating, according to US officials. Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez showed pictures of Saddam as he was captured (left) and after being shaved (right).

The video showed US soldiers searching Saddam's beard and searching his mouth, possibly for concealed cyanide capsules or to take a DNA sample. Arab extremist nationalist circles are apparently aghast that Saddam allowed himself to be captured without a fight and to be publicly humiliated.

Spontaneous celebrations and street demonstrations erupted in Iraq this morning even before the official announcement, as the news spread first in Tikrit, then in Kirkuk, Baghdad and elswhere. Kuwaitis were likewise jubilant.

Palestinians were saddened by the capture of Saddam, who had been a staunch supporter of extremist movements in the West Bank and Gaza strip, and had bankrolled the families of suicide bombers. "It is a big defeat for all Arabs and Muslims," said Raji Hassan, 29, watching TV with friends in a
Gaza City coffee shop.

The Palestinian Authority has made no official comment as yet, taking into account widespread popular support of Saddam and the need to curry favor with the USA.

Palestinian Extremists claimed that the capture would not stop resistance to the US. Islamic Jihad leader Nafez Azzam said that by arresting Saddam, "the United States had achieved a very
simple symbolic triumph." However, he continued, "but we are certain that this would never end the Iraqi people's resistance against the American occupation that is taking their lands from them." He said the Iraqi resistance would continue "carrying out painful strikes against the American
occupation on their lands."

Hamas leader Adnan Asfour said the Iraqi people "would learn from the experience of the Palestinian
people. The Palestinian people's symbolic leaders had been either killed or detained, but their resistance
of the occupation has never been affected and they continued fighting the Israeli occupation," said
Asfour.

A Gaza man says he loves Saddam so much, he can't stand to see him in custody. Saddam had sent checks to families of Palestinian suicide bombers.

A teacher in Yemen says he expected Saddam to resist or kill himself before falling into American
hands. He says Saddam "disappointed a lot of us; he's a coward."

A Saudi student says Saddam should be tried and executed.

The capture of Saddam is undoubtedly a landmark in the American occupation of Iraq, and will help, in the long run, to end the campaign of suicide bombings and murders that has apparently been orchestrated by Saddam supporters. The threat that he would return, made by Saddam himself in a recent tape, is no longer relevant.

Provisional government member Adnan Pachachi announced at the conference that Saddam will be tried in Iraq for war crimes against the Iraqi people, and that this day would be an Iraqi national holiday. Crowds gathered in major cities and people are driving around shooting off rifles in celebration. The trial would no doubt be useful in boosting the popularity and legitimacy of the Iraq ruling council. His trial may also serve as an important symbol for advocates of human rights throughout the Middle East, as well as an object lesson for leaders of repressive regimes. However, General Sanchez and Paul Bremer stated in answers to questions that the disposition of Saddam and the matter of the trial have not yet been determined. It would be a major error if the US will not allow Iraqis to try Saddam for any reason. However, the US may want to trade immunity for Saddam for information about WMD. Preliminary reports indicate however that he is not being really cooperative, claims Iraq never had WMD and that the reports of WMD were all an invention of the Americans.

The capture of Saddam alive, as opposed to the killing of his sons, is considered a great moral victory for the Iraqi Provisional Government and the coalition forces. However, some speculated that the captured Saddam could be the subject of various terrorist kidnapping and ransom operations.

When pictures of Saddam were shown at the press conference this afternoon, Iraqi reporters began hurling juicy curses in Arabic. Two reporters thanked the coalition for capturing Saddam in impassioned speeches.

The capture of Saddam will probably make it easier for the USA to garner international support and cooperation for the post-war reconstruction of Iraq. It will also be a material aid to US President George Bush in his re-election campaign, though continued resistance could make Americans forget this victory fairly quickly, just as resistance in the past quickly faded the memory of the easy victory scored over Saddam last April.