it's now a race against the clock for medvedev to overhaul his country's sports program. all eyes will be on team russia, in four years. they won't just be trying to save face in the 2014 olympics, they'll be hosting it. thanks to all of you for being part of my program this week. i'm see you next week. stay tuned for "am nah pour." i'm fredricka whitfield. "amanpour," featuring christiane amanpour's interview with mosab yousef will air in just a few moments. in iraq, the polling stations are closing after the results of a day of national elections. and here stateside, we're waiting for president obama to make a statement on the national elections in iraq. we'll bring you those comments live from the rose garden. but right now we have another breaking story we want to bring to you. pakistani intelligence agents have reportedly arrested an

american-born spokesman for al qaeda. u.s. sources have not yet confirmed that report, but a senior pakistani official tells cnn that adam gadahn, born in america, has been taken into custody in karachi. gadahn routinely posted videos on islamist online forums supporting terror attacks and condemning the west and israel. the fbi says he grew up in riverside county, california, converted to islam, and moved to pakistan back in 1998. a u.s. court charged him with treason back in 2006, making him the first american to face that charge in more than 50 years. our reza sayah is actually in islamabad, pakistan, joining us now on this arrest. pakistani officials are touting this as a pretty sizable, a big arrest that they've made of adam gadahn in the southern portion of the country, right?

>> reporter: no question about it, fredricka. this is a big arrest for pakistani security forces and u.s. intelligence officials are certainly celebrating tonight because this is a man washington wanted badly. again, the confirmation coming into cnn within the past hour, according to a senior pakistani government official, security forces in pakistan have arrested adam gadahn in the southern port city of karachi. this is a city where pakistani security forces, along with the help of the cia, have arrested a number of high-value militants, members of the afghan/taliban high-value al qaeda operatives as well. adam gadahn, again, 31 years old. born in california. he essentially served as a spokesperson for al qaeda, as far back as 2004. we've been seeing videotaped messages by adam gadahn where he's speaking in english. he delivered his latest

videotaped message, coincidentally, today. it surfaced today. once again, in his message, he encouraged muslims in the west to wage jihad in america, on american soil, against american targets. again, gadahn started -- studied islam in college in california back around 1997, 1998. he eventually converted to islam, came to this region. he married an afghan woman. he's been here ever since. he joined al qaeda. washington was offering a $6 million reward for adam gadahn. details of his arrest are very few, but we're working on getting those for you, fredricka. but big news out of pakistan on this sunday. adam gadahn, the american citizen who joined al qaeda if custody here in pakistan. >> so, reza, it's unclear whether someone will actually collect on that reward, whether someone actually helped to assist in offering information leading to his arrest? >> reporter: yeah, we simply

don't have details of his arrest at this point. this was confirmed to us by a pakistani official within the past hour or so. it is unclear at this point if anyone is going to be collecting that $6 million, but what we have been seeing over the past couple of months is the cia working with the isi, pakistan's top spy agency to capture a number of high-value, especially afghan/taliban in the karachi area. this is further indication that the tribal region along the pakistan/afghanistan border on pakistani soil, a place washington described as a safe haven is no longer safe for these militants. a lot of them are scattering away to karachi. adam gadahn, it looks like he was hiding there too. now he's in custody. >> rezai, how impactful would this arrest be to the ongoing fight against terrorism, the united states/pakistani relationship in that fight, while the u.s. officials are

saying they're not ready to confirm this arrest, the pakistani senior intelligence officials say it did, indeed, take place. >> yeah. i think this is nothing but good news in the fight against extremists, against the taliban in this region. and we've seen a lot of good news over the past couple of months here in pakistan. remember, pakistan, the government here,the security forces, it spy agency have come under lot of cticism over the past couple ofeygog paktaa . they'ved operatives. we've ten t withome of the with the al qaedafighters. other al qaeda ithei leade out there is this real sense that the very top leadership, bin laden, is somewhat isolated from other elements. dahn was involved if al qaeda's communications arm, the

group that puts out the video, the group that put out his video that just surfaced, the 25-minute video that came out in the last 24 hours, a call to arms for muslims. his capture may also have an impact on that communications arm of al qaeda as well. he has sort of really been the fwlish-speaking voice of al qaeda, if you will, for the past four or five years. so it may impact that part of the operation. but al qaeda's structured, we understand, if a way -- and we've seen this, because of the way other figures have been captured in the past -- that one bit can break off and it's not going to stop the rest of the body operating. so i don't think we should think that gadahn's capture, if it's proved to be true, is going to stop al qaeda in its tracks, but it is going to give it pause for thought about just how safe its networks are in pakistan right now, fredricka. >> senior international correspondent, nic robertson, thanks so much, joining us from london. now, conceivably, while in this country, president obama is to be talking about the iraqi

elections taking place today, we're going to be going to the rose garden momentarily when the president emerges from the white house there. quite possibly, he may have a comment or two on this. and again, we have not gotten u.s. confirmation, u.s. intelligence confirmation on this arrest. but, of course, we'll be keeping tabs on that. let's talk a little bit more about the iraqi elections taking place today. they did take place with, but there was -- there were smatterings of violence throughout that country. our arwa damon is in that country. arwa, is this country considering this a successful day of elections despite the fact that more than 30 people were killed. >> reporter: well, fredricka, i think most people are considering the fact that they just went out to vote, to really be an act of defiance. and one does have to admire the iraqis for their resilience and for their courage. as you mentioned, more than 30 people were killed, 38 according to the police that we have been speaking with. and what happened was that in the morning, at least 30 mortar

rounds rained down on baghdad. there were buildings that were destroyed, roadside bombs that were found outside nearly half a dozen polling centers. and despite this, we did see people coming out. a slow trickle at first, but one that picked up later on in the day. and the first question we asked them, why did you think it was worth risking your life? and by far, they were all saying, look, it's our duty, we have to come out and do this. but they're saying, this isn't necessarily for us, we are expecting immediate change, but it's for our children. we have to start taking steps in the right direction. iraqis are desperate for something to change in their lives. they have suffered horribly over the last seven years and are still waiting for the basics, thing s like water, electricity jobs, and security. and there is this constant threat of violence. the islamic state of iraq, that umbrella insurgent organization headed by al qaeda had vowed to derail these elections.

in fact, it installed a curfew from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and still, we saw iraqis coming out to vote. we don't have the official number on voter turnout. we were expecting that today. we're being told by the independent commission that it was good and it will be getting an official result tomorrow. but these elections and what happens afterwards, they're being called the most decisive moments in iraq since 2003, fredricka. >> arwa damon, thanks so much for that update out of baghdad. of course, u.s. troops still in that country and the commander in chief, momentarily, is going to be emerging from the white house, or from the halls of the white house there in the rose garden, and he'll be talking about congratulating the country for carrying out these national elections today. our kate balduan is there at the white house, a live picture right now of the white house on a beautiful sunny day. give us an idea, kate, what the president is to say. >> reporter: well, you set it up really well there, fredricka.

we know from a statement that was released a little earlier today the president is really praising the iraqi people for their resilience and courage for making it to the polls, despite the violence that was in the region this morning. i think we have a graphic of a part of his statement from earlier today, which i'm sure he will be elaborating on and adding to when we hear from him shortly, is the best guidance that we have. let me read a little bit of that statement of what president obama said a little earlier today in a statement. he writes, i congratulate the people of iraq for casting their ballot in this important parliamentary election. i have great respect in the millions of iraqis who refuse to be detoured by acts of violence and who exercise the right to vote today. their participation demonstrates that the iraqi people have chosen to shape their future through the political process. so the president coming out, marking this very important moment, this very important election as arwa had alluded to to, because this is the fifth nationwide vote in iraq and we are nearing the second

anniversary of the beginning of the invasion in iraq. a very important moment, not only for the iraqi people, but an important moment in the u.s. involvement in iraq. president obama, as you know, fredricka, has set a timetable for withdrawal. and to remind our viewers, because we haven't talked about this a lot recently. to remind our viewers of this withdrawal, this is a withdrawal that president obama announced of drawing down, of pulling out most u.s. troops, combat troops from iraq by the end of this august. and of august 2010, that withdrawal will continue gradually after that to meet a deadline then of withdrawing all u.s. troops by the end of december 2011. and that is a deadline that was set during the bush administration in agreement with the iraqi government. so these are very important and critical steps and really key measures this election will be seeing in the coming weeks and days ahead to see how things do pan out. how cooperative the iraqi government is as they come together to form after this election.

these are a key measure as the u.s. tries to move forward with this withdrawal, because the u.s. administration officials have said that really, this is all -- the important thing is to remember the conditions on the ground. so they do build in flexibility for ways to move around if things are working or not working. so this will be a key measure, the success or failure of this election, in how this withdrawal moves forward, fredricka. >> so, kate, is there any conventional wisdom as to why it's so important for the president to come out today on a sunday to comment about the iraqi elections, to essentially put his fingerprint on international relations and the importance to the white house when he's been focusing so much on domestic issues, as he is scheduled to do again the week. >> reporter: right, of course. and you know the president does focus -- can focus on many things at once and he will turn his focus back to domestic issues again this week. but why today? it's a very good question. there are many things at play here. this is a very important election, as i just said, and as

arwa has been talking. very important to the iraqi people and the u.s. involvement. at the same time, no one can forget the fact that the president wants to and needs to get past this war in order to focus on the other war the u.s. is involved with in afghanistan. so it's all art of this being able to draw down, finish something as they try to shift the focus to afghanistan, which is in need of u.s. focus right now. >> kate balduan at the white house, thanks so much. we'll take a short break, when we come back, perhaps the president will be emerging from the white house there to go to the rose garden to make these comments in a congratulatory tone on this day of national elections in iraq.

i'm fredricka whitfield in atlanta. we'll get back to the regularly scheduled program of amanpour as soon as this breaking news, the

president's address at the white house. when that happens, we'll take the president live and wrap it all up and then get to amanpour, where she's talking to the son of a hamas founder. you'll see that entire program in its entirety. meantime, the other breaking story we continue to follow, this coming out of pakistan, and this perhaps underscoring the relationship between pakistani and u.s. intelligence in the ongoing fight against terrorism. we understand now, according to pakistani high-ranking intelligence officials that this man right here, 31-year-old adam gadahn, who is american born, but he has been an al qaeda spokesperson and he has been wanted for many years now, he's been on the fbi most wanted list, there's been a $1 million reward out for any information leading to his arrest. we understand according to pakistani intelligence sources that he has been arrested in karachi, in the port city of karachi in pakistan. our senior international correspondent nic robertson j n joining us right now from

london. he has been an important player in many years with al qaeda. he has helped direct messages to english-speaking audiences as well as others around the world through video postings, online, et cetera, give me an idea the content of some of his messages, nic. >> reporter: well, fredricka, you could say, after bin laden himself, he really has been, as far as al qaeda and bin laden getting their message out to the american and european audience, probably one of the most important figures on al qaeda's tv output in the past four or five years. and coincidentally, he put out a message if the past 24 hours, a message where he says president obama's first year ended disastrously. he cites the attack on the cia base in afghanistan, where seven cia operatives were killed. he said eight were killed there. he also talked about the failed

christmas day airport. he points to this as a failure of the obama administration. but he goes on to talk about a call to arms for muslims in the united states. and he cites major nadal hasan, who is alleged to have shot and killed 13 people on the base in ft. hood last year. he praises major nidal, but he goes on to say that don't think that al qaeda just needs to attack military bases. there are many, many more targets and if those targets, he lists railroad networks. and we certainly know from other american al qaeda operatives have been captured that railroad targets have certainly been discussed for targeting at the highest al qaeda levels. so it was a spokesman for al qaeda and there's a way for al qaeda to get their message out to the english audience. he has been a very, very big figure. and his capture may have an impact, perhaps not a lasting impact, but may have an impact

on al qaeda's sort of promotions, public relations, publicity wing. fredricka? >> nic, do you understand the background of adam gahahn? i'm looking at his personal bio here. he was born in winchester, california. born adam gadahn. his parents, a goat farmer and a carpenter, living there in california. he married a muslim woman from afghanistan and he reportedly has at least one child, but he was home-schooled until the age 17. at what point, or has his family ever said at what point did he make a turn to eventually become a spokesperson for al qaeda? >> well, one of the interesting traits or characteristics that he's exhibited here is something that other, other young american men have exhibited before. this is his curiosity for knowledge that somewhere in his upbringing with, that he was curious to learn more and willing to pursue that. and interestingly in his particular case, as well, he was

jewish and he converted to islam. this is also a road that others have followed, youssif al katab, a very outspoken critic of the united states, who's been preaching from the streets of new york until last year, has now left the country. so it's a trajectory that others have gone along subsequent to adam gadahn and others have gone look in the future. this inquisitiveness. he converts to islam, he moves out to afghanistan, pakistan, hooks up with al qaeda and somehow manages to convince them that he should become a spokesman for them and releases, in the early days of his time in pakistan or afghanistan, releases many, many videos, mouthing what al qaeda's leaders had been mouthing, critical of the united states, critical of israel. calling for this global jihad. this has been his message. and that's been his value to al

qaeda. and it appears that they have been embraced it, because they've continued to allow him, not only allow him to continue with these radical speeches, but to help him by putting him out on their own -- al qaeda's own -- i wouldn't call it a tv channel, but it almost becomes that on the internet, these videos that they release, that they've been putting them out there. and again, this one coming out today. but his passage and his change and conversion to islam is something that's becoming a very worrying trend, this sort of homegrown radicalism is becoming a worrying trend for law enforcement agencies in the united states. they're seeing a significant increase over the past year or so, fredricka. >> and clearly, very identifiable. so one has to wonder what has been the secret behind being so incredibly elusive. is the expectation that we'll learn that he had been moving around quite a bit, whether it be between afghanistan or pakistan or simply there is such a network if place of

protection, protection, protecting him against intelligence forces. >> i think we're going to learn, and this is speculation at this point, that it's really been a network that has kept, as helped him keep his profile low. that he hasn't been walking around the streets where he could be easily recognized, and that he has kept his movement and his communications down to a minimum. he hasn't -- it would have been foolish, one would imagine, if he'd logged on to the internet from where he lives and used his own name. so there will be some very obvious things that he will have done, so that people don't find out where he is. but i think one of the realities that we're learning here is that there is a support network of sympathizers, people sympathetic to al qaeda, anti-american, anti-european, sympathetic to the taliban. and it's quite with an extensive network that's available to these people. and he does seem to have benefitted from that, fredricka. >> and intimidation. people who are intimidated, they

know that there are serious repercussions if they were to reveal any secrets or reveal his identity, his whereabouts, that too has been a component, correct? >> it will have been a component. certainly, anyone in a village that steps out of line with the village leaders, and if they're sympathetic to taliban/al qaeda, they will be dealt with very, very swiftly. i was very surprised last summer when i was in pakistan that i was actually offered an interview with adam gadahn. that told me one thing. that this guy is not in an inaccessible place. i wasn't given any indication where he might have been, but it was an indication to me that we could take any further at that time, that he is somewhere where people can get to him fairly easily. obviously, one takes these types of comments, offers of interviews and such like, with a pinch of salt, like,

skeptically. but that was the offer. >> what happened to that offer? obviously, he wanted the attention that interview would bring, the publicity? >> you know, these things come up when you're reporting on al qaeda, on taliban and sometimes you can trust the people that you're dealing with, sometimes they pan out, that the information flow, this offer, you know, it gets followed through. in this particular case, that didn't happen. and it didn't get followed through. but the very fact that it came across would seem to me to be an indication that he wasn't that inaccessible, that there was a network protecting him. >> okay. international correspondent nic robertson, thanks so much. our reza sayah is in islamabad, pakistan. reza, hearing anything more about the circumstances of this arrest, how it happened? >> reporter: fredricka, we don't have the details surrounding adam gadahn's arrest.

and we should point out that u.s. officials, we've been contacting them, they have yet to confirm adam gadahn's arrest. but we are getting the news confirmed by a senior pakistani government official, once again, to recap, the government official saying that adam gadahn, the american citizen who went on to join al qaeda was captured in an operation in the southern port city of karachi. karachi has been a focal point of operations by the isi, pakistan's powerful spy agency, who has been working along with cia. together, they've been arresting a number of high-value afghan/taliban leaders. last month, it was mullah, five other senior taliban leaders arrested. now you have abdul -- excuse me, adam gadahn being arrested. we should note that pakistani intelligence source telling cnn that over the past month, adam

gadahn wasn't if the best of terms with al qaeda. even though he'd been delivering a number of videotaped messages, even though he was serving as their mouthpiece, he wasn't, according to this pakistani intelligence source, able to meet with top al qaeda leaders. and he resented that. he didn't like that. so according to pakistani -- >> and meeting them face-to-face, or meeting them -- >> reporter: meeting them face-to-face. meeting them face-to-face. they were allowing him to serve as a mouthpiece, but according to this pakistani intelligence source, al qaeda, him being american, didn't fully trust him and they would not allow him to meet with the top-level senior al qaeda leaders. so for the past month, according to this intelligence source, there had been a rift, perhaps that's why he moved from pakistan's tribal region, south waziristan and north waziristan where he spent a lot of time to karachi, where he was arrested.

>> so just hearing that, then, conceivably, he may have been turned in by some of his own people? >> reporter: certainly, that is a possibility. one thing pakistani intelligence officials are telling us, when they're explaining why they've had such a winning streak, why they've had such remarkable success in the past couple of months in arresting high-value targets is that when one high-value target goes, and they often point to mullah abdul beganny bradder. this was the number two afghan taliban leader, only behind mullah omar. they say when you arrest someone like that, you can get some information. and they point to him as the reason why following his arrest, there's been a number of other high-value targets. and that's the explanation that they're offering, why over the past couple of months they have been on a remarkable winning streak, fredricka. >> reza sayah, thanks so much

from islambad. we'll continue our coverage here on the arrest of adam gadahn, arrested according to high-ranking pakistani officials, arrested in karachi, pakistan. and of course, it was election day in iraq. polls are closing and it did not happen, this election day, without many pockets of violence. more than 30 people were killed. president obama is expected to emerge from the white house and head to the rose garden. there's the podium there. this live picture right there. the president is expected to come out and congratulate iraq and perhaps, perhaps he might have a comment or two, or you know he'll at least be asked about this reported arrest of american-born al qaeda spokesperson. we'll see what the president has to say. much more straight ahead, right after this.

hello, again. i'm fredricka whitfield in atlanta. we'll get to our regularly scheduled program," amanpour." in its entirety after we report to you a couple of breaking stories. number one, out of pakistan, according to high-ranking pakistani intelligence sources, american-born adam gadahn has been arrested. he was a spokesperson for al qaeda. he's california born. he's 31 years old. we don't know the circumstances of his arrest, but we understand according to pakistani sources that he was arrested in the southern port city of karachi. we're awaiting more details on that. and this, today, was one of

national elections taking place in iraq. we understand polls are closing, but election day didn't come without pockets of violence. at least 30 people were killed as a result of variations of violence taking place in that country. you're looking at taped images of people casting their ballots and sticking their fingers in the ink well there with that distinctive purple ink to signify that they have voted in these national elections today. here in the states, president barack obama, commander in chief, with u.s. troops still if iraq, is expected to be in the rose garden. he will make live announcements congratula congratulating iraq for carrying out a day of elections. there's the live shot. the live picture right there in the rose garden. our kate balduan is at the white house. our arwa damon is in iraq. let's begin with kate balduan at the white house. what's the expectation? >> reporter: hi, there, fred. well, the press office sent out a statement from president obama a little earlier today, really

congratulating all involved in the iraqi elections. congratulating the courage, praising the courage and resilience of the iraqi people, as well as praising the iraqi government and the security forces for doing their part for providing security to the polling stations and to the region, really, even though despite some violence that we did see throughout the region, in part of this statement, and i should read it to you, the president says that i congratulate the people of iraq for casting their ballots in this important parliamentary election. i have great respect for the millions of iraqis that refuse to be deterred by acts of violence and exercise their right to vote today. their participation demonstrates that the iraqi people have chosen to shape their future through the political process. a very important day for the people of iraq, as well as an important day and an important measure, really, today and in the days and weeks ahead of u.s. involvement in iraq. as we've been talking about, there is a planned withdrawal coming very -- starting, it has

already started, and some deadlines and benchmarks that will be met, the first, of course, by the end of august. and today is a key measure and really the success or failure of this election has the potential of effecting how this withdrawal happens for u.s. troops in iraq. so important for the iraqi people, as well as important for u.s. troops and u.s. involvement in iraq today. >> and how important, kate, has it been for the white house to try and distance itself to some degree from the iraqi elections? hundreds of people were on the ballot, yet you never heard from this administration a preference on who might win any number of these seats. why was that really important for this white house to distance itself? >> reporter: well, i think it's understandable that this administration, this white house really trying to, in the days leading up to this election, were really making the point to say, this is the iraqi people, this is the iraqi government, this is their election, and this is their governance that they are taking control of. and people from white house press secretary robert gibbs to

the spokesperson over at the state department in the days ahead of the election were really touting the progress of the fact that this is their election and this is a show of progress that's being made in that country, as well as can also mark, then, that as they both said, we're right on track, at this moment in the planned withdrawal of this country. so it's important for the iraqi people and important for the administration to distance itself or really say, this is your country. that is your governance, and this is your election. so that's why you can see in this statement and i'm sure we'll hear more of that from the president today, where he's saying, he congratulates the iraqi people, the iraqi government, for really taking it upon themselves and making this their own. this is their election, this is their government, and this is their time. >> kate balduan at the white house, thanks so much. wehle get back to you momentarily, especially as the president emerges there from the white house to take to the podium there to make his comments live. let's go to baghdad now and arwa damon. arwa, give me an idea of whether people felt very liberated and free to make their selections

despite there were pockets of violence. how did that intimidate or keep some voters away? >> reporter: well, fredricka, remember, this is a country where people are very used to intimidation. they're very used to being threatened and they are tragically, very used to violence. so iraqis who did want to go out and vote did, in fact, do so, despite the over 30 mortars that we saw raining down on baghdad in the minutes before the polling centers were open, despite the fact that there were roadside bombs outside of some locations as well. iraqis are telling us that they feel that it is their responsibility to cast their vote. mabe it's not necessarily to bring about change for them, for this generation, but it most certainly is for the next generations as well. iraq is when we talk about progress, though, let's be very careful, because even though from a u.s. perspective it might look as though things are getting better in iraq, they're looking purely at the numbers of attacks per day, they're looking purely at the number of people who have been killed.

but that's not the gauge of success or of progress for the average iraqi. they're looking at the overall sentiment, whereby which they leave their homes. and they are still afraid. even though we're seeing them going about their business every day, even though today we saw them at these polls and they have to be commended for their courage and braver, iraqis are still very, very understandably anxious about their future. is they're still waiting for the bare basics. they still want electricity, they still want water, they still want jobs. but, again, at the top of that list, fredricka, is security. and now, when we look at these elections, though, these elections are not just critical for iraq, itself. a number of iraq's neighbors are watching what's happening here very closely, as is the united states, fredricka. >> and is there a feeling, arwa, that water, jobs, security will come with the right administration, with the right people elected as a result of today's national elections, or are they attributing those things to come once the u.s. is entirely out of the country?

>> reporter: well, fredricka, the thought is that once security is established, the government will be able to turn its focus to these other, just as critical, but basically services. so people really have high expectations that since security is measurably better, the government should be able to focus on these other things. there is a word in arabic, though, inshala, god willing. and that's what all iraqis were saying to us when we asked if this government would be able to provide things that the previous government could not. but let me also point out that it's not as simple as the government sitting down and deciding to address these issues. this is still a very fractured country. this is still a country that's trying to overcome its sectarian divides. and this is still a country that even after this vote is still probably going to take months to form a government. now, it has to be a government that is viewed as being nationalistic. it has to be a government that is accepted by all sides. it has to be a government that

doesn't alienate or disenfranchise anyone who might potentially resort to violence. we're hearing that unless the government that he merges is truly nationalistic, none of these issues that the iraqis want to have addressed will actually be addressed. also, the government is going to have a number of other critical issues that this past government hasn't been able to deal with for four years now, since they've been if power. things like the hydrocarbons law that's going to teal with how iraq is going to divvy up its oil revenue. that's been stuck in parliament. things like amendments to the 2005 constitution, promise to iraq's sunni population back then. that hasn't been addressed either. so there's a lot that this next government as to do before it can actually turn around and address the basics that the iraqi peoples want. >> and arwa, there were hundreds of people on the ballots. were there any particular standouts, whether there were certain religious leaders or perhaps even women who are among them, where people feel that they actually can help bring about this resolutions that you

speak of? >> reporter: well, fredricka, there were actually a total of 6,200 candidates countrywide. now, one candidate can only run in one province. most iraqis, actually, don't even know who these candidates really are. and they were being interestingly more tight-lipped this time than they have been in the past about who they had cast their vote for. many people were saying that they wanted to cast their vote for someone who had a clean slate. for someone whose hands weren't bloodied. for someone who wasn't going to steal from them. for someone who was nationalistic and perhaps didn't have his own party's or his own personal interests at stake. there are, of course, the usual top players here. we have iraqi prime minister nuri al maliki running with his state of law coalition. he's been playing himself up as the strong man, the man who brought about security to iraq, trying to portray himself as a nationalistic leader. we have the iraqi national alliance with a number of key players in it as well.

that is a mainly shia alliance that is trying to change its image. it's been viewed as being very religious and conservative and now it's trying to prove to the people that it can be more moderate, because it's trying to gain more of the popular vote. they emerged very successful back in 2005 and have actually seen some of their popularity decrease, even though the sud n sudriises did going their rank. and another block to keep a close eye on is the erakia bloc. this is very much a secular lineup. and that bloc is campaigning on a platform of no to outside interference, especially iran. so the race really is looking as if it's going to be between these top blocs. and it's going to be very interesting to see what sort of jockeying happens afterwards, what sort of alliances fall apart and which ones stay together, fredricka.

>> that's fascinating stuff. international correspondent, arwa damon, thanks so much, from baghdad. and momentarily, the president of the united states is expected to have some comments congratulating iraq for a day of national elections, among other things. there's a live shot right there and the rose garden. we'll got white house right after this.

held hello, i'm fredricka whitfield in atlanta. we'll get back to aym"amanpour. momentarily. from the white house, momentarily, president barack obama is expected to take to the podium there on the left side of the screen there. he'll be talking about the iraqi elections that took place today. polls have closed there in iraq, with upwards of 6,000 candidates

on the various ballots. as 50,000 votining booths were t up throughout that country. the president will be emerging momentarily and we will bring those competents live. the hope is that perhaps this delay might also mean that president barack obama might be working in some other elements, perhaps some reaction to what we're understanding pakistani high intelligence sources are saying there has been an arrest in karachi, pakistan, of an american-born adam gadahn. you recognize him right there. he's been the spokesperson for al qaeda for at least a couple of years. he's been on an fbi most wanted list since 2006, he was actually charged with treason. and there has been a $1 million reward out for information leading to his arrest. we understand from pakistani sources now that he has been arrested in karachi. however, we're still awaiting more details. u.s. intelligence officials are not yet ready to confirm, but, again, we're going to be going

to the white house momentarily, perhaps, perhaps the president might have a comment about that as well as the national elections in iraq. let's go to our reza sayah, our international correspondent who's actually in islamabad. he's been learning a lot about the arrest. and you know very well and you've been studying for a long time adam gadahn and also the pakistani intelligence forces, how they have worked very hard to establish and cement relations with the u.s. and the ongoing fight against terrorism. >> reporter: yeah. and it hasn't always been a good relationship, between islamabad and washington, between the isi, pakistan's top spy agency and the cia over the past few years. there's been a lot of finger-pointing. of course, the focus of washington has been afghanistan, but pakistan playing a huge role in the u.s.'s success across the border, because we all know when al qaeda wants to run and hide,

when the afghan taliban want to run and hide, there's one place they come to. and that's pakistan's tribal region. and that's why, over the past few years, washington has put a lot of pressure on pakistani security forces, on pakistan's spy agency, the isi, to do more. there's been some suspicion, even, on washington's part, that perhaps pakistani security forces, some elements within pakistan's spy agencies are perhaps supporting and helping the afghan taliban with the end goal of perhaps securing a friend, securing an ally in the taliban once u.s. and international forces leave the area. but over the past couple of months, that criticism has been toned down from washington, and that's because of the remarkable winning streak we've been seeing. i've been here in pakistan for more than two years now, fredricka. i've never seen this much success by pakistani security forces against some militants, a number of-high ranking afghan

taliban leaders arrested since the beginning of the year and now you have the arrest of adam gadahn, the american citizen who joined al qaeda. according to a senior pakistani government official, gadahn arrested in the southern port city of karachi and a lot of these high-ranking militants arrested in karachi and that's an indication of how effective of a hiding spot this place is. and if anyone has been to karachi, you know why. it's pakistan's largest city. it is chaos there is. it's very easy to get lost there and that's perhaps why you've seen a lot of these militants go and hide there. adam gadahn, the latest militant to be arrested. we'll be eager to see if president barack obama comments on this arrest. but at this point, u.s. officials have not confirmed to cnn the arrest of adam gadahn. it has only come from a pakistani senior government official, fredricka. >> and reza, might there be other arrests imminent, and that

is perhaps, in part, why pakistani officials are not saying much about the circumstances of this arrest? >> reporter: well, if the past two months are any indication, there will be more arrests. again, we've seen at least six senior afghan taliban leaders, all members of the so of called afghan taliban cowetta surea. these are senior taliban leaders who fled the fighting and went to cowetta province and were directing and overseeing the fighting from cowetta. almost half of those senior taliban leaders have been arrested since the beginning of the year. and if that's an indication, there will be more arrests. there's still some left, but they're on a pretty good winning streak and certainly washington has praised this winning streak over the past couple of months. >> reza sayah, thanks so much. nic robertson also with us. he's joining us from london. nic, is there any way in which

to surmise whether this might have been a cooperation, this arrest as a result of a cooperative effort of british forces, u.s. forces, pakistani intelligence forces? >> i think if it is going to be a cooperation of any, it's likely to be american and pakistani. u.s. intelligence operatives really have the preponderance of electronic eavesdropping in the sort of northwest frontier province, the border area between pakistan and afghanistan. and we've seen that exhibited in a number of occasions, recently, where we know that european intelligence agencies have had tip-offs about their nationals being in that border region and those tip-offs have come from u.s. intelligence sources. and we're told, again, that that cooperation between these different intelligence agencies have been critical. now, it's been difficult in the past to get this effective

cooperation with pakistani authorities when it sort of comes to the moment of arrest. pakistan is very, very sensitive to the issue and to be perceived as being seen as a lackey of the united states. so i think it would be reasonable to assume if there was cooperation between pakistan and the united states at an intelligence level, it is most likely that on the ground, if this operation, as we understand, went ahead and captured adam gadahn, that it would have been pakistani operatives on the ground. but you can be pretty sure that the united states operatives were watching very, very carefully, as much as they were informed about the final details of how this all went down. and i think what reza was saying before was very, very interesting, about how adam gadahn has been suffering a falling out of favor, if you will, with al qaeda's leaders, because it certainly wouldn't be the first time that a group had sold out an uncooperative me member. and it seems to be such a coincidence today that this

latest video bied a gunman day dan, his 25-minute rant again the united states and others, that sort of the end of the day -- the beginning of the day the news the video is released and then we learn that he's been captured. to imagine those two things are linked would stretch the imagination a little bit. we're waiting for this final confirmation, if you will, from u.s. officials, that adam gadahn has been captured. many reasons one could speculate why we're not hearing so far, but of course the source we have at the moment, a pakistani source, so the information at the moment looks good. >> you know, i have to wonder how this helps the pakistani/u.s. relationship. because while reza was underscoring the past couple of years, there have been a number of arrests, prior to that, it became very tenuous. there was a lot of doubt that the u.s. expressed over how serious pakistan was in this ongoing fight against terrorism.

might this in any way kind of mend or change the minds of anyone who felt a little comprehensive about this working relationship? >> there's a lot that's going on behind the scenes here. ambassador richard holbrooke was asked about this when he was in islamabad just a few days ago. and he pointed to meetings back in october last year that secretary of state hillary clinton had with pakistani officials to ally a lot of their concerns, staying an extra amount of time to sort of make sure that there was a full understanding, to make sure that there was cooperation across the board. but, also, saudi arabia, we understand, has been playing a significant role and ambassador holbrooke praised saudi arabia, didn't specify what they've been doing, but we know that saudi arabia has a close relationship with pakistan, that they can be an influential player, that they can have influence over certain figures who might be close to the taliban, might be close to

al qaeda. certainly, diplomatic efforts do appear to have been under way from saudi arabia. so a lot happening behind the scenes. but in that same press conference, ambassador holbrooke wanted to sort of hold back from saying, yes, what we've seen with this real uptick of arrests so far this year by pakistani officials is significant enough for him to say, yes, pakistani intelligence operatives are doing exactly what we want. now, of course, he wouldn't want to say that publicly, as well, because that would undermine the pakistani government, who are very, very sensitive to appear to be manipulated in a lackey of the united states. but ambassador holbrooke, it did seem to me, when i read through his words, the transcript of that press briefing he gave, that there was a little caution, yet, that people at his level remain to be convinced about exactly who pakistan is rounding up. and perhaps why. there would be reticence there, because in the past, these types of actions by pakistan have

sometimes also served their interests as well. and pakistan has, as most diplomats are recognizing now, some very legitimate concerns and aspirations when it comes towards afghanistan and one of the efforts we understand that's under way behind the scenes is really to learn what pakistan's bottom line is in terms of what it wants to see in afghanistan. because that will also be a starting point for real talks with afghan taliban if the future. >> senior international correspondent nic robertson, thanks so much. we know you'll be sticking with us there from london. momentarily, we understand, the president will be -- president of the united states will be emerging from the white house. he's about 45 minutes late. the early expectation was he would be emerging about 45 minutes ago, but that was at the same time that this other story started to break, that the arrest of an american-born al qaeda spokesperson had taken place in pakistan, so perhaps the white house revising or reshaping some of its thoughts. the president is expected to talk about the national elections in iraq, but perhaps

now, too, will be commenting on what is taking place there in pakistan. nic robertson, thanks very much. we'll be checking back with our correspondents momentarily. right now we'll take a short break.