Australian arrested in Iraq

An Australian man has been arrested by British troops in Iraq after they found him in a house full of "Saddam loyalists."

An Australian man suspected of being a Saddam Hussein loyalist is in British custody in Iraq, Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer said yesterday.

The 45-year-old man, from Adelaide, was detained by British troops on November 21 during a raid on a house alleged to contain people loyal to the former Iraqi dictator, Mr Downer said.

The man was arrested in the port city of Umm Qasar.

"He is now in British custody," Mr Downer told reporters in Adelaide.

"The Australian representative office in Baghdad will be making contact with him during the course of today.

"His case will be reviewed by the British on Tuesday, with a view to working out what they're going to do with him and what association he had with the Saddam Hussein loyalists while he was in the house.

"We're not certain and nor are the British certain of what he was doing with those people."