Medical tests have shown that a man being held in Iraqi custody is not Saddam Hussein's former deputy, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, Interior Ministry spokesman said.

"The person that has been arrested, after appropriate medical tests, was not al-Douri but somebody related to him, who is also wanted by the state," the spokesman said.

On Sunday, Iraqi officials said they had nabbed al-Douri during a raid on an area north of Baghdad, but later Iraqi Defense Minister Hazem al-Shaalan said the arrest was baseless.

The announcement followed 24 hours of confusion during which several officials said Ibrahim had been captured.

American officials believed al-Douri is playing an organizing role in the 16-month insurgency that has plagued US forces in Iraq.