Saddam joins Bin Laden at top of Most Wanted list

Saddam Hussein has joined terror chief Osama bin Laden at the top of the list of America’s most wanted men, US officials said today.

The deposed Iraqi leader and the head of al-Qaida are now the two most prized scalps in a massive intelligence operation to track down terrorists that spans the globe.

America has also put a £127,000 (€183,700) bounty on the heads of Saddam’s two sons who, like their father, have seemingly vanished since the fall of Baghdad.

The brothers rank alongside the Taliban’s one eyed spiritual leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, on the wanted list. Omar has been in hiding since the US led attack on Afghanistan.

US officials said they are determined to capture Saddam, believing the war will not seen to be over until he is brought to justice.

But the hunt for the ousted dictator and members of his toppled regime has so far proved as frustrating as the search for bin Laden and his cohorts.

US special operations forces and CIA agents who are scouring Iraqi palaces and government offices have not found any documents or tips that might indicate where Saddam could be.

American military officials said the Baath party buildings have been “professionally and meticulously” cleaned out.

Intelligence experts believe that if Saddam survived the two decapitation strikes against him during the conflict he has most likely fled to Syria.

Washington has accused Syria of harbouring leaders of the fallen Iraqi regime.

Other reports have variously suggested Saddam and his sons could be hiding in Yemen, Jordan, Russia or one of the former Soviet republics.

The search in Baghdad has yielded some successes, most notably the US special forces capture of Palestinian terrorist Abu Abbas, who is accused of masterminding the 1985 hijacking of an Italian cruise ship.

Another leading al-Qaida suspect, Abdul Rahman Yasin, is also believed to be hiding in the Iraqi capital.

Yasin is accused of building the bomb that killed six people in the 1993 World Trade Centre blast.

Meanwhile, the FBI and CIA continue to hunt for other wanted terrorists around the world.

The search for bin Laden has mainly concentrated in Pakistan after he narrowly escaped capture by US special forces in Afghanistan.

Several suspects are also sought for their alleged roles in the 1998 bombings of the US Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya.

They include Ayman Al-Zawahiri, a doctor and the founder of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, who is believed to be bin Laden’s deputy.

A £16m (23.1m) reward for information leading to the capture of each of the main al-Qaida suspects has so far failed to encourage many people to come forward with information.

But US intelligence agents were spurred by the capture of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, in Pakistan in March following a joint raid by the CIA and local police.

The senior al-Qaida member is accused of being chief lieutenant to bin Laden and suspected organiser of the September 11 attacks.