Doha, May 02: The director of Iraq's office of military industrialisation and one of Iraq's two Vice Presidents under Saddam Hussein have been taken in custody by the US-led military coalition, US central command announced today. In a brief statement, central command identified the detained men as Abd Al Tawab Mullah Huwaysh, director of the office of military industrialisation, and Taha Muhyl Al Din Maruf, an Iraqi vice president and member of the revolutionary command council. The statement did not give details of where the men were detained, where they were being held or whether they surrendered or were captured. Huwaysh was listed as no. 16 on the coalition's list of the 55 most-wanted figures from Saddam's regime and Maruf as no. 42. The statement came several hours after the US military in Baghdad said that a man said to be a close confidant of Saddam was under arrest today after being taken into custody in the Iraq capital.

The announcement at the US army's V corps headquarters said Mizban Khadr Hadi, a member of Saddam's revolutionary command council and a top Baath party leader, was captured yesterday in the area of Baghdad controlled by the US army's 3rd infantry division.

The announcement also said Muhammad Mahdi Al-Salih, the former minister of trade, had been arrested yesterday. But the US military in Washington had already reported his arrest on April 23. The US central command in Doha, Qatar, could not immediately reconcile the discrepancy and it issued no statement on Hadi's reported arrest.

Bureau Report