Has arrested a criminal in arid area (6,6)

I believe the answer is:

sahara desert

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'arid area' is the definition.
'Sahara Desert' can be an answer for 'area' (Sahara Desert is an example). I am unsure of the 'arid' bit.

'has arrested a criminal' is the wordplay.
'criminal' indicates an anagram.
'has'+'arrested'+'a'='hasarresteda'
'hasarresteda' anagrammed gives 'SAHARA DESERT'.

'in' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for sahara desert that I've seen before include "Uncultivated region of north Africa" , "World's largest sandy area" , "Dry region of Africa" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

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