Deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is 'unrepentant, defiant and showed no remorse' when governing council members met him after his capture, council member Adnan Pachachi said on Friday.

"We found him obviously tired and haggard but he was unrepentant and even defiant," Pachachi told the press in Baghdad.

The United States Army on Monday said Saddam Hussein was captured on information provided by a member of a family 'close' to the deposed Iraqi leader.

Major General Raymond Odierno, commander of the 4th Infantry Division, said Hussein was captured due to the questioning over last 10 days of 'five to 10 members' of families 'close to Saddam'.

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"Finally we got the ultimate information from one of these individuals," he was quoted as saying by a news agency.

"He told us he was a just and firm ruler," he said. "Our answer was that he was an unjust ruler responsible for the death of thousands of Iraqis."

In Washington, a US defence department spokesman told the press how US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld broke the news to President George W Bush

'Mister president, the first reports are not always accurate..." said Rumsfeld. Bush broke in: 'This sounds like it's going to be good news.'

'General Abizaid called me. He feels confident that we got Saddam Hussein,' said Rumsfeld, referring to John Abizaid, the commander of US forces in Iraq. 'Well, that is good news,' replied Bush.

The spokesman said both discussed the possibility that it could be an impostor, but after speaking with US authorities in Iraq, Rumsfeld called Bush back to say 'identifying marks left them very confident of having their man'.

Agencies