A senior Interior Ministry official said the hanging was supposed to be carried out by hangmen employed by the Interior Ministry, but that “militias” had managed to infiltrate the executioners’ team.
“The execution was carried out by militias and outsiders. They put aside the team from the Interior Ministry that was supposed to carry it out,” the official said.
An official execution video, which had no sound and ended before Saddam falls through the trapdoor, boosted Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s authority among his fractious Shiite allies. But the new images have hardened perceptions among Saddam’s disillusioned fellow Sunnis of triumphant Shiites, dealing a blow to Maliki’s efforts for national reconciliation. More here
Aides to Iraq’s prime minister said today that one of the guards at the hanging of Saddam Hussein had been detained in connection with the unofficial cellphone video that showed Mr. Hussein being taunted just before his death — scenes that sparked outrage among Sunni loyalists when the video was posted on the Internet. More on New York Times