A CLOSE relative of Saddam Hussein who was involved in last week’s terrorist attack on Kirkuk has been arrested.

Kirkuk Police confirmed yesterday that IS militant, Nasar Hamoud Abdulghani, the Iraqi dictator’s cousin, was captured following the October 21 assault against security forces that left nearly 90 dead.

Police believe Abdulghani snuck into Kirkuk, a city in the north of Iraq, along with up to 100 other jihads for a terrorist mission.

He was later found hiding in an empty water tank after fleeing to the Daquq district.

Sarhad Qadir, Kirkuk Police chief, said: “The security forces managed to arrest Nasar Hamoud Abdulghani in Daquq district in southern Kirkuk.

“The hiding militant was found in an empty water storage tank along with several weapons and over a thousand bullets.”

Nasar Hamoud Abdulghani was a member of the president’s personal security service during Saddam Hussein’s time.

The Kurdistan Region Security Council released a statement on Monday saying that Kurdish counter-terrorism and Kirkuk security forces conducted a joint operation early in the morning on October 24, after which five more IS militants were captured.

In the early hours of last Friday morning a gang of IS militants attacked several locations in Kirkuk.

According to reports, up to 100 militants armed with grenades and wearing explosive vests were involved in the strategic attack.

The jihads were repelled by the police and security forces in the city but intense fire exchanges left nearly 90 people dead and more than 200 others injured.

Shortly after the attack it was revealed that 48 ISIS terrorists involved in the assault had been killed or blown themselves up.

The assault reportedly took place to divert attention from the IS-held city of Mosul, around 100 miles away, where Iraqi forces are waging a major offensive.