Raw(Arabic) : The Iraqi authorities showed on Monday reporters segments of a video in which a man they arrested last month says he is Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the shadowy leader of the Sunni Islamist insurgency in Iraq.

Baghdad - Iraqi police on Monday showed reporters segments of a video in which a man they arrested last month says he is Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the shadowy leader of the Sunni Islamist insurgency in Iraq. Iraqi military spokesman General Qassim Atta told reporters he had released the video to show al-Baghdadi "answering questions being asked in the media."

Last week, the Qatari satellite news channel al-Jazeera aired portions of an audio tape from a man who claimed to be al-Baghdadi.

"We do not know whose picture was shown on Iraqi television," said the audio tape. "The leader of the faithful, Sheikh Abu Omar al- Baghdadi ... is well."

In a Sunday interview with Iraqi state television, Atta insisted that the man they detained last month, Ahmed Abd Ahmed Khamis, was, in fact, al-Baghdadi.

"We expect him to behave as a coward before Iraqi forces and to supply us with a wealth of information on al-Qaeda's financing and plans," Atta said.

On Monday, Atta promised reporters he would keep them updated with any new information they gain from investigations.

In March and May 2007, respectively, Iraqi police said that al- Baghdadi had been arrested and killed.

After those reports turned out to be false, US Brigadier General Kevin Bergner in July 2007 told reporters that the US military believed al-Baghdadi did not exist, but was a myth created "to put an Iraqi face on the leadership of al-Qaeda in Iraq."