"We believe we have Tareq Aziz in our possession," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

There were no immediate details on how Aziz was taken by US forces.

ABC television said Aziz, the longtime defender of Saddam on the international stage, had given himself up.

Aziz, number 43 on the list of 55 most wanted Iraqi officials, was one of the best known figures in the regime of deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

He played a leading role in making Iraq's case at the United Nations and other international arenas in the 12 years since the 1991 Gulf War.

Urbane and fluent in English, he was the most senior Christian member of the Iraqi government.

His arrest brought to 12 the number of former top Iraqi officials to be reeled in by a US-led dragnet.

It came a day after the commander of the Iraqi air defense force, the director of military intelligence and the minister of trade were taken into custody.

Saddam, who was twice targeted by US air strikes, remains unaccounted for. British Defence Minister Geoffrey Hoon said Wednesday he believed Saddam is alive and inside Iraq. The Iraqi opposition has said the same.

SPACE.WIRE