Questions Swirl Around Saddam's Hanging
2 Guards, 1 Official Questioned On How Outsiders Got Into Death Chamber
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Play CBS Video Video Will Iraq Unite? Jim Axelrod talks to Katie Couric about the implications of Saddam Hussein's execution on reconciliation between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq. David Martin has the latest on the troop surge.
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Video "Shadow Army" In Iraq Tens of thousands of civilians deployed in Iraq provide logistical support for the troops, but face grave danger as they transport supplies around the country. Armen Keteyian has more details.
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Iraqis hold pictures of the country's ousted dictator Saddam Hussein during a protest in Tikrit, near his hometown, 80 miles north of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007. (AP Photo/Bassim Daham)
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An Iraqi watches video footage of the execution ousted leader Saddam Hussein on a mobile phone at a shop in central Baghdad 31 December 2006. (AFP/Getty Images)
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Iraq's former President Saddam Hussein's brother-in-law Arshad Yassin Al Nassiri, center with head gear, accepts condolences from unidentified well-wishers regarding the former Iraqi president's execution, at his residence in Doha Qatar on Wednesday, Jan.3, 2007. (AP Photo)
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Photo Essay Execution Outcry Dictator's hanging prompts mostly peaceful protests among Sunni Muslims and others
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Photo Essay Saddam's Final Moments Saddam Hussein went to the gallows Dec. 30, 2006. Contains photos some may find disturbing.
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Interactive Iraq: A Turning Point? New Congress, change at the Pentagon, study group report; what does the future hold?
The unauthorized video, which ignited protests by Saddam's fellow Sunni Arabs in various Iraqi cities, threatens to turn the ousted dictator into a martyr. Saddam was shown never bowing his head as he faced death, and asking the hecklers if they were acting in a manly way.
The Bush administration sent conflicting signals Wednesday about the taunting and baiting that accompanied the execution, with the White House declining to join criticism of the procedure and the State Department and U.S. military publicly raising questions about it.
Meanwhile, investigators are trying to determine the veracity of a rumor that the video was sold for $20,000, reports CBS News correspondent Randall Pinkston.
National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie laid the blame for the cell phone video on ill-educated security guards, saying "Their feelings were expressed in a wrong way, in an unacceptable way, in a disgusting way."
But one of the prosecutors from Saddam's trial disputes that, telling CBS News: "They are trying to blame the guards. The guards are innocent."
Saddam, who was convicted for the killings of 148 Shiites, was dignified and courteous to his American jailers up to the moment he was handed over to the Iraqis outside the execution chamber, a U.S. military spokesman said.
He "was courteous, as he always had been, to his U.S. military police guards," Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell said. "He spoke very well to our military police, as he always had. And when getting off there at the prison site, he said farewell to his interpreter. He thanked the military police squad, the lieutenant, the squad leader, the medical doctor we had present, and the colonel that was on site."
Although Saddam "was still dignified toward us," Caldwell said his demeanor changed "at the prison facility when the Iraqi guards were assuming control of him."
Al-Rubaie and two other top officials variously reported one to three men were being questioned in the investigation into who heckled Saddam as he was minutes from death and took cell phone pictures of his execution.
"The investigation has already had an arrest warrant against one person and two to follow," al-Rubaie told CNN. He said the guard force at the execution was infiltrated by an Arab television station or another outsider.
The clandestine footage appeared on Al-Jazeera television and Web sites just hours after Saddam was hanged Saturday. The tumultuous scenes quickly overshadowed an official execution video, which was mute and showed none of the uproar among those on the floor of the chamber below the gallows.
Sami al-Askari, a Shiite lawmaker who advises Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, said two "Justice Ministry guards were being questioned. The investigation committee is interrogating the men. If it is found that any official was involved, he will face legal measures."
A second key al-Maliki adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information, said, "In the past few hours, the government has arrested the person who videotaped Saddam's execution. He was an official who supervised the execution and now he is under investigation."
Prosecutor Munqith al-Faroon, one of 14 official witnesses to the execution, told The Associated Press that he saw two government officials using camera phones at the hanging.
"I saw two of the government officials who were ... present during the execution taking all the video of the execution, using the lights that were there for the official taping of the execution," he said. "They used mobile phone cameras. I do not know their names, but I would remember their faces."
Caldwell said no Americans were present for the hanging and that the tumultuous execution would have gone differently had the Americans been in charge.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 42 CommentsThe last case was a man who tried to save another one who fell off a train, very recently in the State. They both had to creep under the incoming train on the other track. He put his life at risk to save the other's.
No one can recount all the sacrifices of one's life for the others. And most of them were genuine, coming instantanously, without any prior reflection. They are all Godly gestures.
Continue please...
One should not restrict this generosity only to one controversial but special Creature. Look at all the controversies that have been documented about the life of Jesus ( Maria-Magdalena, lack of knowledge about Jesus from the Adolesence to thirty) etc...
As previoulsy stated, the blessing of knowledges continues to pour on Humanity and all the scientific discoveries are the perfect illustration of 'miracle-making'. Medical Cures discoveries, unavailable less than 20 yrs ago, are a perfect example of such continuous blessing and revelation... You may be blaspheming if you just restrict the revelations of The Creator just to the period of Jesus. The Creator is Eternal and time is not a limitation to Him. As stated previously, the Past, the Present and the Future are sizable at the same moment for Him, so please don't squat strictly on the previous revelations. There are many to come...
why don't you have a look at the last version of the UnitedNations Charter of Rights. It has eliminated all discriminations against people no matter what religion, what race, what nationality and what gender, or s3xual orientation they are.
No confusion, clearly written and full of commomn sens. Jesus, Abrahma, Moses, Mohammed, Buddha, Krishna and all the other prophets would have adopted it as their Charter of Human Rights. Actually if you look at it, you can see it's much inspired from the Noble Books throughout history. This charter of rights could be a reference into human rights and obligations for centuries to come...
http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html
Sura (2:191) - And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution [of Muslims] is worse than slaughter [of non-believers]
No intention here to defend anything, but this seems to be what we call self-defense/Resitance for occupied land and its retake.
The word drove is the past form of the verb drive (not a car) but rather push, kick someone out of his home, land. This is written in the United Nations' Charter of Rights.
The other part about 'terror in the heart' is quite terrifying, but doesn't say nothing about killing Christians as you pretend.
The prophet Samuel gave Saul these instructions from the Lord: "Go now and fall upon the Amalekites and destroy them. . . . Spare no one; put them all to death, men and women, children and babes in arms, herds and flocks, camels and *****."
Jeremiah denounces those who won't do the killings desired by the Almighty. He declares: "A curse on him who is slack in doing the Lord's work! A curse on him who withholds his sword from bloodshed!"
God promised to make an end of the people of Judah by "sword, with famine and pestilence." And the Lord pledged to do the same to any nation that would not submit to his "servant" Nebuchadrezzar, the Babylonian king.
But of course when it's Christians fighting against "nonbelievers" they tell people it's different, because the Christian God (as they tell us) is the only true god, and he has every right to kill whomever he wants.
you just said it U are ridiculous and a biggot. You need to repent and express apologies for the blasphemies you said about all other religions.
but indeed Im hateful, toward the skepticism about all the magical stories that are told in the holybooks. Unfortunately Just can't be as easy to convince as you, with all the discrepencies with the cartesian logics that WE've been taught. Not criticising a fairy tale and gobble it as is, man, we're heading down to hell.
Shame on you SickRick and I reiterate if you still think that others' religion are not as good as yours (I'd say as bad), well up to you to be happy that way. I prefer to be tormented now and later in my life, to being taken as another individual into the hurd of sheeps.
You started from a prejudiciable vision toward the others... and that is bad, so sad. All humans have been created EQUAL and FREE at their birth, and Equal and Free shall they stay untill they naturally die, according to United Nations Charter of Rights, a sacred text that preserved the rights of humans all over the world, much more than religions did ever. Never ever the human race has been in a better condition than since the adoption of the UN charter of rights. So please keep your convictions for yourself and stop smearing others' beliefs. Nobody is preventing you from believing in all fairytales you wish. But please don't impose it on others...
Posted by singinrick at 05:34 PM : Jan 04, 2007
"AND it's also a crime to carry a Bible, from what I've read."
Now, just where in the hell did that come from you gunzel-head.
"those that believe in and practice the teachings of Jesus turn out to be more loving, friendlier, kind, giving, forgiving, patient, less apt to steal, cheat, lie, seek revenge, murder, seek anothers property or wife or to take advantage of another for their advancement"
well let's see. I went to a bible college and I was a children's minister, lets see what all occured. First off, people in a church can be some of the meanest people you will ever meet. Thet have an agenda and they don't care what they have to do to get it done (because God is on their side). I've met more friedlier people outside of a church than inside one. Patience is not a virture that is well taught in churches, fighting for God is what is really taught. While I was in bible college a good friend of mine (who also went to the bible college) had an affair with my wife (we're now divorced). My ex-brother-in-law was yelled at and told he wasn't a true christian because he didn't believe in calvinism. I'm not saying all christians are bad, but you've got to realize that christianity doesn't solve all of our problems. It can create more. Religion doesn't change people, people change religion. They make it suit whatever their needs are. There are bad christians just like there are bad islamist. Religion is just a veil they wear to justify their actions.
Jesus loves ya, man. He does. He wants you into a relationship, heart to heart. SickRick is getting the credit-points for that enrolling.
"The Iraqi government is arresting the folks who exposed the truth."
You have got to be kidding me, They were out to make some "bucks" that's all. Exposing the truth, I can't believe you believe that.
Besides, after watching that vidio. I don't expect to hear many going around saying they saw Saddam at the local Wall Mart with Elvis.
Stick it up your @sses. People shun religion because of freaks like singingrick and other sickos posting their BS religious baloney here and everywhere else they find an opportunity.
How many of your priests have given it to little boys up the @ss - those men are the face of god in this world. Popes who decry birth control.....yep, Christianity is every bit as sick and bogus as Islam.
Religion, false as it is, is right out there, available to anyone who feels the urge to partake. Go to church and sing and pray to your naive hearts' content, and shut your pie holes when you leave.
Selah
%u201CBeing a Christian isn't about the "church" either. It's about accepting Christ.I won't get into detail though to save myself from ridicule on here...%u201D
I suspect it is rather to avoid answering logical questions.
In response to this earlier partial statement from singinrick:
%u201CMuslims DO NOT believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He came to this earth to die for our sins as God in the flesh.%u201D
I asked the following two questions:
How was Jesus%u2019 dying on the cross a sacrifice? If, as you claim, He were god in the flesh he would feel no pain and the crucifixion would have been merely symbolic. Are you saying Jesus was a show-off?
If, as you further claim, none can go to heaven unless they accept Jesus as their savior what do you think will happen to all the people throughout history who never even heard of him, For instance all the inhabitants of the Australian, North and South American continents? No one at that time even knew they existed. Evidently not even Jesus.
Singinrick%u2019s non-answer was a link to another opinion.
I repeat, logic and religion are mortal enemies.
Our world has been turned upside down by these zealots, that are no more than liars, filled with blasphemies, and out for one thing, the control of minds and bodies to do their bidding.
-Fighting with people is one thing, but purposely killing them for refusing to convert to Muslim is a whole different subject.
How many native Americans did your religion kill because they were so-called "heathens and infidels?"
You don't believe in the same God as me, because I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died for our sins.
Muhammed did not die for our trangressions. He was a mere mortal human being like the rest of us.
So was Jesus.
Muslims are still killing people for not converting to their beliefs....
Christians don't fly airplanes into buildings killing thousands of innocent people.
No they bomb them from 40,000 feet.
If you have any inkling that I am muslim, you couldn't be further from the truth, I am agnostic, and believe that both religions should be outlawed.
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