Saddam Hussein’s body was stabbed in the back, says guard

The body of Saddam Hussein was stabbed six times after he was executed, according to the head guard at the former president’s tomb north of Baghdad, who was one of the people that helped bury the corpse. 

The claim is categorically denied by the head of Saddam’s tribe. The Iraqi Government similarly denies any mutilation took place after the dictator was hanged on December 30, 2006, for crimes against humanity. 

Talal Misrab, 45, is the chief guard at Saddam’s tomb, housed in a large hall in al-Awja, a small village north of Baghdad, where the fallen dictator spent much of his childhood. 

In an interview with The Times, he claimed: “There were six stab wounds on his body.” Mr Misrab alleged that four of the wounds were on the former president’s front and two on his back. He also said there was an injury to his face.  

The guard alleged that 300 other people witnessed the injuries when the body was buried in the early hours of the morning, the day after Saddam was killed. 

Another tribesman said he had been told by Sheikh Ali al-Neda, the former head of Saddam’s tribe, who has since also died, that the body had stab wounds. 

Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq’s security advisor, denied the allegation. 

“I oversaw the whole process from A-Z and Saddam Hussein’s body was not, not stabbed or mutilated and he was not humiliated before execution,” he said. 

Sheikh Hasan al-Neda, who is now leader of Saddam’s tribe, also dismissed the suggestion that anyone had interfered with the corpse. 

“I swear by God his body was totally intact except for a bruise on his cheek,” Mr al-Neda said. “When we received the body in Baghdad, we were told that they [the Iraqi authorities] washed and wrapped it according to Islamic traditions, but we still washed him again here in Tikrit.” 

He continued: “My son Ahmed was there and he told a Saudi newspaper that the body was not mutilated in any way.” 

The circumstances of Saddam’s death are not in dispute, however. His execution triggered international outrage after leaked video footage revealed that he was taunted by guards who chanted Shia Muslim slogans as the noose was placed around his neck on the gallows.  continues here

Leeds torture murder trio jailed

THREE Leeds men will spend at least 33 years in jail after they tortured a businessman before murdering him during a bungled armed robbery. 
Dacosta Daniel, 29, of Servia Gardens, Gipton; Errol Witter, 27, of Blenheim View, Woodhouse; and Robert Cameron, 28, of Richmond Way, Garforth, must also serve eight years for conspiring to rob car dealer Edward 'Teddy' Simpson of £300,000.

Mr Simpson, 56, was killed at his home on Sticker Lane, Bradford, in August 2007, after being viciously beaten with weapons including a pistol, a wrench and a frying pan. His body was found dumped in the grounds of a former nursing home in Wyke, near Bradford.

Leeds Crown Court heard how the father-of-four was subjected to a form of "water torture" in his living room, with the robbers putting a cushion cover over his head and dripping water on his face to force him to reveal the whereabouts of the stash.

Blood splatters were found in the hallway of the house and even in the children's ball pool, while the men also used a monkey wrench to attack one of Mr Simpson's friends, Gary Folkard, after he interrupted the robbery.

A post-mortem revealed Mr Simpson had suffered 56 external injuries and a shattered skull, probably caused by severe blows and stamps.

Sentencing the trio to a minimum of 33 years in prison, the Honourable Mr Justice Langstaff said: "There was a significant element of careful planning. This was not a killing which occurred in the heat of the moment. You were willing recruits.

"You are all men in your prime and at the time, you were big and bulky. Two of you are tall, while the third is ex-army, goes to the gym and is physically very strong. You gave Mr Simpson little chance to put up any resistance."

Daniel, Witter and Cameron, who were found guilty of Mr Simpson's murder in August, were also jailed for eight years for conspiracy to rob, to be served concurrently with the murder sentence. continues here