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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Saddam Hussein executed in Iraq | Saddam Hussein executed in Iraq |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been executed by hanging at an unspecified location in Baghdad, for crimes against humanity. | |
| Iraqi TV said the execution took place just before 0600 local time (0300GMT). | Iraqi TV said the execution took place just before 0600 local time (0300GMT). |
| The news was confirmed to the BBC by the Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister, Labeed Abawi. | |
| Two co-defendants, Saddam Hussein's half-brother Barzan al-Tikriti and former Iraqi chief judge Awad Hamed al-Bandar, were also executed. | Two co-defendants, Saddam Hussein's half-brother Barzan al-Tikriti and former Iraqi chief judge Awad Hamed al-Bandar, were also executed. |
| Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death by an Iraqi court on 5 November after a year-long trial over the 1982 killings of 148 Shias in the town of Dujail. | |
| "Criminal Saddam was hanged to death," state-run Iraqiya television announced, as patriotic music and images of national monuments were broadcast. | "Criminal Saddam was hanged to death," state-run Iraqiya television announced, as patriotic music and images of national monuments were broadcast. |
| A scrolling headline read: "Saddam's execution marks the end of a dark period of Iraq's history." | A scrolling headline read: "Saddam's execution marks the end of a dark period of Iraq's history." |
| The TV station said Saddam Hussein's half-brother and the former chief justice of the Revolutionary Court were also hanged. | The TV station said Saddam Hussein's half-brother and the former chief justice of the Revolutionary Court were also hanged. |
| Other Arab TV stations aired live footage of the sunrise over Baghdad's Firdous Square, where US Marines pulled down a statue of Saddam Hussein, after he was deposed in April 2003. | |
| 'Turning a page' | |
| US troops and Iraqi security forces are on high alert for any violent backlash. The US State Department has urged all its embassies to increase security. | US troops and Iraqi security forces are on high alert for any violent backlash. The US State Department has urged all its embassies to increase security. |
| The BBC's Peter Greste in Baghdad says Shias have generally welcomed Saddam Hussein's passing and hailed the execution as justice for the suffering endured under his leadership. | |
| But Saddam's own Sunni tribesman were angered by his treatment in the past and they may well protest once more, our correspondent adds. | |
| The BBC's Adam Brookes in Washington says the Bush administration will see the act as turning a page in Iraq - a demonstration that Iraq has a sovereign and democratic government. | The BBC's Adam Brookes in Washington says the Bush administration will see the act as turning a page in Iraq - a demonstration that Iraq has a sovereign and democratic government. |
| A US statement is expected. However, the Bush administration will be keen to portray the execution as a matter purely for the Iraqi government and its court system, our correspondent says. | A US statement is expected. However, the Bush administration will be keen to portray the execution as a matter purely for the Iraqi government and its court system, our correspondent says. |