Saddam 'nervous' at handover

2004-06-30 16:34

Washington - Deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was "visibly nervous" when he was handed over to Iraqi authorities on Wednesday, according to the head of the special tribunal that will read him his charges on Thursday.

"It was a surreal experience," Salam Chalabi told ABC television, noting that the handover took place early on Wednesday.

"We first saw Saddam Hussein and he had lost weight. He was not the towering figure that one used to see on TV before. He was nervous, very nervous, because he did not know what was happening.

"The whole process took maybe three or four minutes" Chalabi added, noting that 11 other former regime officials had been handed over, as well.

Saddam was wearing Arab dress and no longer had the beard he was seen with after his capture in December 2003, Chalabi said, adding that his hair was "a bit long" and "black, not grey".

The former dictator is being held at a US base at Baghdad's international airport, according to humanitarian groups.

Saddam and the 11 other members of his former regime are to be read a charge sheet before the special tribunal on Thursday, according to an Iraqi official.

- AFP