Saddam to be hanged before noon Saturday: Shiite lawmaker

Iraqi former president Saddam Hussein could be hanged before noon Saturday, Iraqi state television reported on Friday night.

The al-Iraqiya television quoted Shiite lawmaker Bahah al- Iaraji as saying that "the death sentence will be carried out before 12:00 a.m. Saturday (0900 GMT)."

Iraqi officials have consulted some clerics to see whether Saddam can be hanged during the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, which will start on Saturday, said Bahad, who belongs to United Iraqi Alliance, a leading Shiite bloc in the Iraqi parliament and the government.

Bahad also said there were two sites of the execution, one in Green Zone, the other outside the heavily-fortified area.

Hours earlier, Saddam's chief lawyer said he had been handed over by U.S. forces to Iraqi authorities for execution. The hand- over of Saddam to the Iraqi authorities means that the execution is imminent.

However, there are still different speculations about the timing of the execution.

A senior official told media that Saddam will be executed within hour and "it seems it's possible he may be hanged tonight".

An Iraqi judge said that Saddam would be executed by Saturday at the latest.

Munir Haddad, a judge of the appeals court, said that Saddam would be executed "today or tomorrow," adding "all the measures have been done and there is no reason for delay."

Haddad also said he was ready to attend the execution on behalf of the judiciary.

On Tuesday, the Iraqi appeals court announced that the court had upheld the death sentence for Saddam and he would be executed within 30 days.

Source: Xinhua