Militant's wife is believed held
Lebanese authorities are questioning the woman and conducting DNA tests on a boy.
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Authorities detained a woman and young boy believed to be the wife and son of the reclusive Islamic State group leader, and were questioning the woman and conducting DNA tests on the child, senior Lebanese officials said Tuesday.
If their identities are confirmed, Lebanon may use the pair as bargaining chips to win the release of soldiers and police taken hostage by the extremists in cross-border attacks earlier this year.
The woman, who was identified as an Iraqi, and the child were taken into custody about 10 days ago while carrying fake ID cards, the officials said.
Very little is known about Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's personal life, including how many wives and children he has. Conservative interpretations of Islam allow men to marry up to four wives. The Islamic State did not immediately comment on the detentions, but the faction's supporters on Twitter and militant websites cast doubt on the reports.
Adding to the confusion, the Lebanese army did not release an official statement regarding the pair.
A Lebanese military official identified the woman as Saja al-Dulaimi who was held by Syrian authorities and freed in a prisoner exchange with the Nusra Front, Syria's al-Qaeda-linked branch, earlier this year. The official said the woman "confessed during interrogation" that she was Baghdadi's wife.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
In March, the Nusra Front freed more than a dozen Greek Orthodox nuns in exchange for the release of dozens of female prisoners by the Syrian government. A woman named Saja al-Dulaimi was reportedly on the list of prisoners freed by Damascus.
A judicial official said the interrogation of the woman was being supervised by Lebanon's military prosecutor, Saqr Saqr, and that a DNA test was underway to confirm that the child is her son. Experts said it would be difficult to confirm whether the woman is indeed Baghdadi's wife.
It was unclear what would have brought the woman and child to Lebanon, where IS controls no territory and enjoys only small - although growing - support in some predominantly Sunni Muslim areas.