Saddam trial rocket attack plan foiled
The trial of Saddam Hussein resumes today – after Iraqi authorities said they had foiled an insurgent plot to fire rockets at the courtroom.
The defence has challenged the legitimacy of the court and wants more time to prepare its case.
Ten witnesses are due to testify when the trial opens after a week’s adjournment. One of the judges has removed himself from the panel since the November 28 hearing after learning that a co-defendant may have been involved in executing his brother.
A statement released by the office of Mouwaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq’s national security adviser, said the 1920 Revolution Brigades, one of the country’s best-known insurgent groups, had planned to attack the building during today’s court session.
The statement said Iraqi intelligence uncovered the plot but gave no further details and did not say whether anyone had been arrested.
Saddam and seven co-defendants went on trial on October 19 for the 1982 killing of more than 140 Shiite Muslims in the town of Dujail following an assassination attempt against him there. The defendants face the death penalty if convicted.
The trial has been dogged since the outset by security issues. Two defence lawyers have been assassinated since the opening session and a third has fled the country.
A US official close to the proceedings told reporters the court will begin hearing testimony from 10 witnesses, six of whom have agreed to have their identities revealed but insisted they not be shown on television for security reasons.
Two others insisted on testifying behind a screen, and the others agreed to appear without any restrictions, the official said.
He said the defence had submitted three motions – challenging the legitimacy of the tribunal, arguing that Saddam’s actions were protected by presidential immunity and asking for more time to prepare its case. It was unclear if the judges would rule on them today.
The official predicted the hearings would last three or four days before adjourning until after national parliamentary elections December 15. Iraqi officials have said holding the trial during the election would strain the country’s security resources.
Each of the eight defendants will have at least one lawyer in court. Chief Judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin adjourned the November hearing for a week to allow two of the defendants time to choose replacements for their court-appointed lawyers.
Former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark told reporters he and other international lawyers would meet Saddam after the hearing to set out a defence strategy.
“It will be our first real meeting where we’ll have the chance to discuss the trial,” Clark said. “He’s being held in total isolation, not seeing any member of his family, any friend, anybody he knew before.”
The meeting with Saddam would be Clark’s second in six days.
The trial is continuing as tensions are rising throughout the country ahead of the election, with several attacks against candidates and campaign workers reported throughout the country.
Yesterday a crowd of about 60 men attacked former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and his entourage at the Imam Ali mosque in the Shiite holy city of Najaf. Television footage showed Allawi and others running from the shrine as they were showered with stones and shoes.
Allawi, a secular Shiite, described the incident as an assassination attempt and said the group was armed with pistols, knives and swords.
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