Saddam's secretary captured

A U.S. soldier was killed today in a drive-by shooting.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- American forces have taken into custody Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti, Saddam Hussein's presidential secretary and No. 4 on the U.S. most-wanted list of Iraqi leaders, a U.S. official said today.
The official said Mahmud was captured in Iraq but had no further details.
Third in power only to Saddam and his younger son, Qusai, Mahmud controlled access to Saddam and was one of the few people he is said to have trusted completely, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Mahmud may have information on the fate of Saddam and his sons, and he is thought to have details of Iraq's alleged weapons programs. U.S. officials have said they want to try Mahmud for war crimes or crimes against humanity for activities associated with his senior position in the Iraqi regime.
Raids
It is unclear whether Mahmud's capture was related to U.S. raids near Saddam's hometown of Tikrit. American troops raided two farmhouses and found $8.5 million in American cash, 300 million to 400 million Iraqi dinars and an undetermined amount of British pounds and euros, said Maj. Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of the Army's 4th Infantry Division. The troops also found more than $1 million worth of gems and jewels, he said.
The troops captured one of Saddam's bodyguards and up to 50 other people believed to be tied to Saddam's security or intelligence forces or paramilitary groups, Odierno told Pentagon reporters in a video news conference from his headquarters in Tikrit. The troops also found Russian-made night-vision goggles and other military equipment, as well as various Saddam paraphernalia.
Odierno said he did not know whether the cash was intended to pay bounties for attacks on American troops or to provide the Saddam loyalists with luxuries while they were in hiding.
Meanwhile, a U.S. soldier was killed and another was wounded in a drive-by shooting in Baghdad today, and U.S. troops threatened by a stone-throwing crowd killed two Iraqis during a demonstration.
A military spokesman said the U.S. troops were hit by gunfire at a gas station. The gunmen escaped as other soldiers tried to give aid to the wounded, said U.S. Army Capt. John Morgan.
The shooting of the Iraqis occurred as former Iraqi soldiers demonstrated to demand back wages outside the American headquarters in Baghdad.
Military officers initially reported two people were wounded, while Iraqis at the scene said two were killed and one wounded. U.S. troops took two fallen Iraqis to an army aid station inside the compound, and U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Sean Gibson confirmed the two Iraqis had died.
The shooting came one day after a human rights group accused U.S. troops of using excessive force during a protest in the town of Fallujah in April.
Throwing stones
Another military spokesman said the episode began when the demonstrators threw stones at a convoy of military police vehicles moving toward the arched gateway of the Republican Palace, Saddam Hussein's former presidential compound and now the headquarters of the U.S.-led administration.
"A soldier did fire his weapon," in response to the stoning, said Capt. John Morgan, the spokesman.
Iraqis who took part in the protest said the violence began when the crowd pressed against a vehicle moving slowly outside the gate and banged on it. A soldier fired into the air, apparently setting off a panic in the crowd.
AP photographer Victor Caivano said the demonstrators threw stones at the soldiers and at reporters, who were forced to retreat.
Raad Mohammed, a low-ranking former army officer who joined the protest to demand back wages, said his friend was shot in the right shoulder. Mohammed's checkered shirt was stained with what he said was his friend's blood.
Mohammed said he and others were about to put the wounded man in a car when American troops approached and said, "We'll take care of him." He said they took the man inside the compound.
There have been frequent demonstrations outside the Republican Palace, usually over the issue of unpaid wages to civil servants and the army. Today's demonstration coincided with the birthday of Saddam's eldest son, Odai.
On Tuesday, New York-based Human Rights Watch alleged that troops used excessive force in the town of Fallujah when they shot and killed 20 protesters and wounded nearly 90 in encounters April 28 and 30.
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