The highest-ranking Iraqi in the leadership of al Qaida in Iraq has been arrested, the US command said.

Officials said information from him indicated the group’s foreign-based leadership wielded considerable influence over the Iraqi chapter.

Khaled Abdul-Fattah Dawoud Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, also known as Abu Shahid, was captured in Mosul on July 4, said Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner, a military spokesman.