.Humiliated and hooded, the tyrant faces his fate on the steel scaffold
Saddam Hussein spent the last moments of his life hooded as he was led to a steel scaffold where a hangman waited with a noose.
The former dictator's final hours began last night with him being transferred from American custody at Camp Cropper, on the outskirts of Baghdad, to a panel of three or four Iraqi judges.
About 90 condemned prisoners have died in the same complex since Saddam's regime was toppled.
In the hours before his death, an order known as the "red card" was delivered to the governor of Saddam's prison, signalling that everything was in place for his execution.
After being given the opportunity to beg forgiveness or to confess his crimes in the presence of the judges, he was led to a cell which was bare except for floor cushions, where he prayed, read the Koran and drank water as he prepared himself for the end.
He was expected to be dressed in green prison overalls rather than the traditional Arab dishdasha robe he was allowed to wear in prison.
He had already issued a letter to what he still considered to be "his" people of Iraq. "I call on you not to hate because hate does not leave space for a person to be fair and it makes you blind and closes all doors of thinking," he wrote. But he added: "Long live jihad and the mujahideen."
At the appointed time, a black, cone-shaped hood was placed over his head and he was led along a corridor to the adjacent gallows chamber by several Iraqi guards. Iraqi and American officials witnessed the hanging, which was also filmed. It is unclear when, if ever, the footage would be broadcast.
Once on the steel scaffold, the hangman placed a noose made of one-and-a-quarter-inch-thick hemp rope around Saddam's neck before pulling the two heavy levers that opened the trap door over a 15ft hole.
The clang of the metal door was accompanied by a clunk as the weight of the tyrant's body pulled the rope tight, breaking his neck and, in theory, killing him instantly.
A doctor was ready to listen for a heartbeat to establish that the former president was dead before his body was lowered, covered with a white cloth and taken away.
A degree of American supervision is likely because not all Iraqi hangings have gone smoothly.
In September, when the 13th of 27 condemned men was hanged, the rope snapped and the prisoner landed on the floor and shouted: "God saved me!"
He lay on the ground praying and shouting while prison guards and the hangman discussed whether there had been divine intervention and the execution should be halted.
Eventually, they agreed that a new rope should be rigged and the man was dragged wailing up the steps once again. The second time, the rope held. It is not known where Saddam's body will be buried. In accordance with Muslim custom, his corpse is expected to be returned to his family but the Americans will be anxious to prevent his tomb becoming a shrine for Ba'athist supporters. One possibility, nevertheless, is that he could be laid beside his sons Uday and Qusay, who were buried in the family's tribal cemetery near Tikrit after they were killed in a US raid in July 2003.
Iraqi officials contemplated holding a public hanging at the Shaab sports arena in Baghdad, allowing tens of thousands of Iraqis to attend and satisfying the public demand for revenge as well as certainty that the mass murderer's demise was final.
But such an event would have been vulnerable to attack by Sunni insurgents who still swear fealty to Saddam as the rightful president of Iraq. American officials also believed it would inflame the Muslim world and prompt unfavourable comparisons with the Taliban regime of Afghanistan.
When the hood was placed over Saddam's head, it would have been the first time he had experienced darkness for many months. His whitewashed cell at Camp Cropper has been kept lit 24 hours a day so that he can be monitored by the video cameras in each corner. Each wall of the cell measures 15 feet – the length of the rope from which he was hanged. There was no television but he had been allowed to listen to a radio. Known as prisoner HVD-1 – High Value Detainee One – Saddam slept on a narrow metal bed and was allowed to choose from a traditional Arab breakfast of yoghurt, toast and tea or American cereals.
According to soldiers from the Pennsylvania National Guard who guarded him in 2003 and 2004, Raisin Bran Crunch was his favourite cereal but he objected to the sickly sweet Froot Loops.
Saddam was said to have grown more devout during his three-year incarceration. But he borrowed from Christendom rather than Islam to vilify the man he believed betrayed the site of his hideout, describing him as a Judas.
Guards said he spent much of his exercise time tending to bushes and shrubs in the small garden in the prison yard. He lost nearly a stone in weight after exercising with press-ups and sit-ups in his cell. Much time in the cell was devoted to reading the Koran and a selection of books given to him by the Red Cross. He was also said to have composed poetry. The personal effects he was allowed in his cell were a pair of plastic sandals and a grooming kit that included a toothbrush, soap and a comb. Prison authorities directed that his iron bed be bolted to the floor and his only means of communication with the guards be a narrow hole in the door.
Telegraph
The former dictator's final hours began last night with him being transferred from American custody at Camp Cropper, on the outskirts of Baghdad, to a panel of three or four Iraqi judges.
About 90 condemned prisoners have died in the same complex since Saddam's regime was toppled.
In the hours before his death, an order known as the "red card" was delivered to the governor of Saddam's prison, signalling that everything was in place for his execution.
After being given the opportunity to beg forgiveness or to confess his crimes in the presence of the judges, he was led to a cell which was bare except for floor cushions, where he prayed, read the Koran and drank water as he prepared himself for the end.
He was expected to be dressed in green prison overalls rather than the traditional Arab dishdasha robe he was allowed to wear in prison.
He had already issued a letter to what he still considered to be "his" people of Iraq. "I call on you not to hate because hate does not leave space for a person to be fair and it makes you blind and closes all doors of thinking," he wrote. But he added: "Long live jihad and the mujahideen."
At the appointed time, a black, cone-shaped hood was placed over his head and he was led along a corridor to the adjacent gallows chamber by several Iraqi guards. Iraqi and American officials witnessed the hanging, which was also filmed. It is unclear when, if ever, the footage would be broadcast.
Once on the steel scaffold, the hangman placed a noose made of one-and-a-quarter-inch-thick hemp rope around Saddam's neck before pulling the two heavy levers that opened the trap door over a 15ft hole.
The clang of the metal door was accompanied by a clunk as the weight of the tyrant's body pulled the rope tight, breaking his neck and, in theory, killing him instantly.
A doctor was ready to listen for a heartbeat to establish that the former president was dead before his body was lowered, covered with a white cloth and taken away.
A degree of American supervision is likely because not all Iraqi hangings have gone smoothly.
In September, when the 13th of 27 condemned men was hanged, the rope snapped and the prisoner landed on the floor and shouted: "God saved me!"
He lay on the ground praying and shouting while prison guards and the hangman discussed whether there had been divine intervention and the execution should be halted.
Eventually, they agreed that a new rope should be rigged and the man was dragged wailing up the steps once again. The second time, the rope held. It is not known where Saddam's body will be buried. In accordance with Muslim custom, his corpse is expected to be returned to his family but the Americans will be anxious to prevent his tomb becoming a shrine for Ba'athist supporters. One possibility, nevertheless, is that he could be laid beside his sons Uday and Qusay, who were buried in the family's tribal cemetery near Tikrit after they were killed in a US raid in July 2003.
Iraqi officials contemplated holding a public hanging at the Shaab sports arena in Baghdad, allowing tens of thousands of Iraqis to attend and satisfying the public demand for revenge as well as certainty that the mass murderer's demise was final.
But such an event would have been vulnerable to attack by Sunni insurgents who still swear fealty to Saddam as the rightful president of Iraq. American officials also believed it would inflame the Muslim world and prompt unfavourable comparisons with the Taliban regime of Afghanistan.
When the hood was placed over Saddam's head, it would have been the first time he had experienced darkness for many months. His whitewashed cell at Camp Cropper has been kept lit 24 hours a day so that he can be monitored by the video cameras in each corner. Each wall of the cell measures 15 feet – the length of the rope from which he was hanged. There was no television but he had been allowed to listen to a radio. Known as prisoner HVD-1 – High Value Detainee One – Saddam slept on a narrow metal bed and was allowed to choose from a traditional Arab breakfast of yoghurt, toast and tea or American cereals.
According to soldiers from the Pennsylvania National Guard who guarded him in 2003 and 2004, Raisin Bran Crunch was his favourite cereal but he objected to the sickly sweet Froot Loops.
Saddam was said to have grown more devout during his three-year incarceration. But he borrowed from Christendom rather than Islam to vilify the man he believed betrayed the site of his hideout, describing him as a Judas.
Guards said he spent much of his exercise time tending to bushes and shrubs in the small garden in the prison yard. He lost nearly a stone in weight after exercising with press-ups and sit-ups in his cell. Much time in the cell was devoted to reading the Koran and a selection of books given to him by the Red Cross. He was also said to have composed poetry. The personal effects he was allowed in his cell were a pair of plastic sandals and a grooming kit that included a toothbrush, soap and a comb. Prison authorities directed that his iron bed be bolted to the floor and his only means of communication with the guards be a narrow hole in the door.
Telegraph
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