A civilian was killed in Iraq's Samarra City, some 120 km north of Baghdad, on Sunday when police commando members opened fire at hundreds of people gathered in protest against Saddam Hussein execution, local police said.

"Hundreds of Samarra residents, carrying Iraqi flags and Saddam portraits, took the street, protesting the execution of the former leader Saddam Hussein," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

"A police commando force shot bullets to disperse the demonstrators who rallied outside the most revered Shiite shrine of Imam al-Askari," the source said.

The protestors shouted slogans condemning the current Iraqi government for the execution of Saddam Hussein.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi police arrested Abdul Muni'm Kamel al- Samarraie, a cameraman of Associated Press (AP) news agency who

was covering the demonstration, the source said, adding that commando members beat Samarraie when they captured him.

Saddam's execution by hanging on Dec. 30 sparked anger in Iraq's Sunni provinces and thousands have poured into Saddam's hometown of Tikrit to pay condolences over Saddam.

Source: Xinhua