Saddam's capture celebrated around the world

Celebratory gunfire erupted in Baghdad today and world leaders – including the war’s most prominent opponents – hailed the capture of deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

The US military announced that a bearded Saddam was detained without resistance in a hole in a farmhouse cellar near his hometown of Tikrit, ending one of the most intense manhunts in history.

“I very much welcome the capture last night of Saddam Hussein,” British Prime Minister Tony Blair said in a statement released by his office.

“This is very good news for the people of Iraq. It removes the shadow that has been hanging over them for too long of the nightmare of a return to the Saddam regime.”

In the Iraqi capital, celebratory gunfire rang out, radios played festive music, drivers honked their horns and passengers on buses and trucks chanted “They got Saddam, they got Saddam!”

US troops stationed around Iraq cheered when they heard the news. But not everyone was happy and some Iraqis in Baghdad said they wanted proof that the man in US custody was really Saddam.

French President Jacques Chirac, one of the leading voices against the invasion of Iraq, was “delighted” at the arrest, said his spokeswoman Catherine Colonna.

“It’s a major event that should strongly contribute to democracy and stability in Iraq and allow the Iraqis to master their destiny in a sovereign Iraq,” Chirac said, according to Colonna.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, whose ties to America also suffered serious, although short-lived, strain because of his opposition to the war, congratulated Bush on Saddam’s capture.

“With much happiness I learned about the arrest of Saddam Hussein,” Schroeder wrote in a letter sent to Bush and made public by the German government.

“Saddam Hussein caused unspeakable sorrow to his own people and the whole region. I hope that his arrest will support the efforts of the international community to rebuild and stabilise Iraq.”

Polish Defence Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski also welcomed the news but warned that the arrest could spark retaliation from Saddam’s supporters.

“The coming days could be equally dangerous as these past days,” he said. Poland commands thousands of international peacekeeping troops in Iraq.

The Australian government, which staunchly supported the war, also welcomed the news.

“Saddam’s capture is a huge boost for the cause of liberty and democracy in Iraq,” Prime Minister John Howard said in a statement.

In Spain, the government of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, which strongly backed the war, also hailed the news.

“It is a great day for humankind,” said Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio. “The horrible shadow of this bloody dictator is going to vanish.”

Japan’s Fuji TV, quoting government sources, reported that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said, “that is a good thing”, when he received the news.

In the Swedish capital, Stockholm, shoppers along a busy street gathered to watch the breaking news and images from Baghdad on televisions inside electronics stores.

Many said they were amazed, but not entirely convinced. Sweden did not back the war.

News of the claimed capture began filtering among the 500 delegates and other dignitaries at the opening session of Afghanistan’s historic constitutional council, being held in Kabul.

Afghan Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali said the claimed arrest would help improve security in Afghanistan by dampening the ability of militant groups to recruit fighters here.

“What happens in Iraq is also something to do with the situation in Afghanistan. Since the war in Iraq, the terrorist organisations have tried to open a new front in Afghanistan, so any failure of terrorism in Iraq is going to effect the situation in Afghanistan,” Jalali said.