BAGHDAD, June 28: The Iraqi government said on Wednesday it has captured a Tunisian Al-Qaeda militant allegedly behind the February bombing of a shrine that unleashed a massive wave of sectarian violence.

Iraqi national security adviser Muwaffaq al-Rubaie said ‘we managed to capture Abu Qudama al-Tunisi, a Tunisian, recently and he has taken an active part in blowing up the Golden mosque.”

Mr Rubaie said the shrine attack in Samarra, north of Baghdad, was intended ‘to drive a wedge between Shias and the Sunnis and to create a sectarian war’.

Thousands of Shias and Sunnis have died in tit-for-tat killings in the aftermath of the bombing of the mosque, the burial place of two Imams revered by Shias.

Mr Rubaie said the mastermind of the Samarra attack, Iraqi Haitham al-Badri, was linked to the previous government before joining Ansar as-Sunna and ultimately Al Qaeda. He said Badri remains at large.

Badri led a cell that included Abu Qudama, four Saudi nationals and another Iraqi, Mr Rubaie said.

Abu Qudama, whose real name is Yusri Naji al-Traiki, was captured ‘a few days ago’ when he and about 15 foreign fighters tried to attack an Iraqi army checkpoint in Dhuluiyah, north of the capital, Mr Rubaie said.

KIDNAP: University students and professors were on strike to protest the kidnapping of 10 Sunni students from their dormitory in Baghdad two days ago despite a massive security operation underway in the capital.