American arrested with arms in Iraq, official says

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – An American described as a security
contractor arrested by police in a northern Iraqi town was
carrying weapons in his car, a provincial official said.

Abdullah Jebara, the Deputy Governor of Salahaddin
province, told Reuters the man was arrested in Saddam Hussein’s
hometown of Tikrit on Monday. He was removed from the
provincial government building by U.S. forces on Tuesday,
Jebara said.

The Joint Coordination Center between the U.S. and Iraqi
military in Tikrit said the man, whom it described as a
security contractor working for a private company, possessed
explosives which were found in his car. It said he was arrested
on Tuesday.

The man was stopped by police for violating a daytime
curfew in Tikrit, a security source said. American security
personnel rarely travel alone.

U.S. officials had no immediate comment.