Saudi army officer held in Iraq for World Cup terror plot

BAGHDAD - A Saudi army officer was arrested in Iraq Monday for past attacks and for involvement in an alleged Al Qaeda plot targeting the World Cup events in South Africa, an Iraqi military spokesperson said.

Saudi Colonel Azzam al-Qahtani, also known as Sanan al-Saudi, entered Iraq in 2004 and is believed to have been involved in attacks on religious sites in Karbala and Najaf, Iraqi General Qassem Atta said.

He is accused of cooperating with Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda’s second in command, in planning attacks on the World Cup events in South Africa, which begin in June.