Iraq says captures senior al Qaeda figure

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi authorities captured a senior figure from al Qaeda on Wednesday, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry said.

Major-General Abdul-Karim Khalaf said the captured man, Nazal Sabar al-Jughaify, also known as Abu al-Jarrah, was a senior lieutenant to the Sunni Arab militant group's leader in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri.

Jughaify was captured in the western province of Anbar, and would be brought to Baghdad for questioning, Khalaf said.

The U.S.-led multinational forces in Iraq confirmed the report.

(Reporting by Wisam Mohammed, edited by Richard Meares)