Saddam's son arrested in US

Saddam Hussein’s stepson has been arrested on immigration charges in Florida, where he had enrolled to take classes at a flight school, authorities said.

According to the US Immigration and Naturalisation Service, the Iraqi leader’s stepson was travelling as a tourist and had not applied for a student visa that would have allowed him to take courses.

Mohammad Saffi, a citizen of New Zealand who has worked as a commercial airline pilot, planned to take a course at Aeroservice Aviation Centre, James Goldman, an INS assistant director for investigations, said.

Goldman said Saffi was seeking recertification training at the flight school. FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela said he was employed by an airline in New Zealand.

Saffi, 36, also failed to tell customs agents of his intent to take courses when he arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday on a flight from New Zealand, Goldman said.

The FBI spokeswoman said Saffi was tracked yesterday as he flew from Los Angeles to Miami International Airport. He was taken into custody at a motel shortly after he arrived.

Saffi was being held at Krome Detention Centre in southwest Miami-Dade County and is being processed for deportation to New Zealand, Goldman said.

The Weekend Herald, a newspaper in New Zealand, reported in December that Saffi was employed by Air New Zealand as an engineer and had lived in the country for six years.

They said officials in New Zealand had investigated Saffi after September 11 when they learned he was Saddam’s stepson. No action was taken, the paper said.

Saffi had declined to discuss his relationship with the Iraqi leader when asked by the paper.