British Prime Minister Tony Blair confirmed the arrest of toppled Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, the Press Association news agency reported.

"I very much welcome the capture last night of Saddam Hussein," Blair said in a statement quoted by Press Association.

"This is very good news for the people of Iraq. It removes the shadow that has been hanging over them for too long of the nightmare of a return to the Saddam regime.

"It also gives an opportunity for Saddam to be tried in Iraqi courts for his crimes against the Iraqi people.

"And it gives us an opportunity to take a step forward in Iraq."

The capture comes eight months after Saddam was ousted after a US-led invasion on Iraq, in which Blair was US President George W. Bush's staunchest ally.

US media reports said Saddam was captured in the cellar of a house in his hometown of Tikrit.

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