Sydney, Nov 23: Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer said today an Australian man, suspected of being a Saddam Hussein loyalist, had been arrested by British troops in Iraq. Downer said the 45-year-old man, who was working for an international company, was detained Friday after British troops raided a house believed to contain people loyal to the former Iraqi leader.
It is not yet known if he would be charged with anything.
"The Australian representative office in Baghdad will be making contact with him during the course of today," Downer told reporters.
"His case will be reviewed by the British on Tuesday with a view to working out what they are going to do with him and what association he had with the Saddam Hussein loyalists.”
"We just frankly don't know enough about what he could have been doing with these people at that time."
Several others in the house were also detained.
Downer said the man's name would not be released until the British conduct their review.
Iraqis loyal to the former regime are believed responsible for a wave of car bombings, assassinations and rocket attacks on coalition forces inside Iraq. Bureau Report