Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's wife and daughter were arrested recently in Lebanon while carrying fake identification cards near a border crossing point between Lebanon and Syria.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who is described as the new Bin Laden, is based in Syria and has a $10 million bounty on his head by the U.S, reported USA Today.
Baghdadi's wife, identified as Saja al-Dulaimi, and his daughter were arrested about a week and a half ago in Lebanon in what the country's leading Al Safir newspaper said was "in coordination with foreign intelligence services."
Little information is known about Baghdadi, as he is almost never seen or heard from. Dulaimi is said to be one of Baghdadi's three wives, according to Reuters.
Baghdadi's daughter was originally described as his possible son when reports first surfaced, however DNA testing proved that Dulaimi was accompanying her daughter on the day of their arrests.
Fawaz Gerges, a Middle East expert at the London School of Economics, said that the arrest could suggest the American-led coalition may have substantial intelligence in Syria and Iraq.
"I talked to a few people who told me this was a coordinated arrest between American intelligence services and the Lebanese army," Gerges said. "If I were Abu Bakr Baghdadi, I would be very anxious that they are getting very close. This is a development ... that is very alarming for ISIS, in particular the top leadership."
There was no immediate response to the arrest on Islamic State websites.
