'Ladies and gentlemen: we got him!'

BAGHDAD, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. forces captured Saddam Hussein without firing a shot after learning he was hiding at a farm house near Tikrit, Iraq, officials said.

Gen. Ricardo Sanchez said members of the Fourth Infantry Division found Saddam hiding in a "spider hole" about six to eight feet deep. Troops also recovered various small arms, a taxicab nearby and $750,000 in cash, just south of Tikrit.

There were no injuries, and Sanchez described Saddam as "talkative and cooperative."

The news conference was attended by members of Iraqi Governing Council and Coalition Administrator Paul Bremer.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we got him," declared an exultant Bremer as he began a Baghdad news conference announcing the capture of the notorious Ace of Spades, as Saddam was known on the deck of cards that showed the Iraqi fugitives most wanted by coalition forces.

Iraqis and Americans broke out in applause and cheers at the news of his capture. Outside the building, celebratory gunfire filled the air, said United Press International's Beth Potter.

"This is a great day in Iraq's history," Bremer said. "For decades hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have suffered at the hands of this cruel man. For decades he has threatened and attacked your neighbors. Those days are over forever. Now is the time to look to a future of hope and reconciliation. Iraq's future has never been more full of hope. The tyrant is history. The economy is growing."