Washington - Palestinian guerrilla leader Abu Abbas, who masterminded the hijacking of an Italian cruise ship in 1985 was captured by United States forces and is in US custody in Baghdad, CNN reported on Tuesday.
Abbas, also known as Mohammed Abbas, is the leader of the Palestinian Liberation Front, which hijacked the Achille Lauro in the eastern Mediterranean, resulting in the death of a disabled elderly American man.
"CNN can now report that Abu Abbas... has been captured by US forces in or near Baghdad," CNN's national security reporter David Ensor said.