"He has been captured by coalition forces in Baghdad," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

An elderly, wheelchair-bound American tourist, Leon Klinghoffer, was murdered and thrown into the Mediterranean during the hijacking of the Italian cruise ship.

Abbas, leader of the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF), was sentenced to five life terms in Italy for the hijacking.

Details of the capture were expected to be announced by the US Central Command, a US defense official said.

US Marines in Iraq discovered bomb-making facilities at a facility that was described as a training camp operated by a faction of the PLF, a US military spokesman said Monday.

Bomb-making facilities, chemicals, mortars, gas masks and AK-47s were found inside the 20-building complex to the east of Baghdad, said Corporal John Hoellwarth, a Marine spokesman.

The complex, which was the size of a battalion headquarters, featured pictures of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, PLF faction leader Abbas and the PLF's flag, Hoellwarth added.

Other photos included pictures of Abu Abbas posing with a brigadier general from Saddam's Republican Guard inside the camp.

SPACE.WIRE