Feb. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Iraqi forces arrested Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan al-Tikriti, the third half brother of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and one of the most wanted men in the country.

Sabawi, number 36 on the U.S. list of the 55 most-wanted people, will be prosecuted for terrorist activities and torturing Iraqis, said Thamir Hassan, a spokesman for interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, in a statement received by e-mail.

``Sabawi's arrest reflects the Iraqi government's resolution to chase and capture all criminals who have smeared their hands with the blood of Iraqis,'' Hassan said in the statement.

Saddam Hussein and 11 members of his government were put under Iraqi legal jurisdiction on June 30 when the U.S. handed sovereignty to an interim government following the U.S. invasion of the country in 2003. Hussein will be tried this year once all the evidence is compiled, Barham Saleh, the deputy Iraqi prime minister, told Dubai, United Arab Emirates-based al-Arabiya television in December.

Saddam's two other half brothers, Watban Ibrahim al-Tikriti and Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, were captured in April, 2003.

While Hussein and other captured members of his government are under Iraqi legal jurisdiction, they are in the physical custody of the U.S. military.

Remaining Fugitives

Sabawi was one of 12 men still on the U.S. list who haven't been captured or killed, according to the Web site of the U.S. ministry of defense. The most prominent Iraqi fugitive is Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, an aide to Saddam Hussein, who is number 6 on the list. The U.S. department of defense has announced a reward of $10 million for any information leading to al-Duri's capture.

The U.S. blames Sabawi and other former members of Hussein's government of organizing the insurgency against the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq and the interim Allawi government.

Saddam Hussein was captured in December, 2003, by U.S. forces, who found him hiding in a hole near his hometown of Tikrit, north of Baghdad.

To contact the reporter on this story: Dania Saadi at dsaadi2@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: February 27, 2005 12:38 EST