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Gang that beheaded Berg headed by Saddam's nephew
The mystery of who killed Nick Berg, the freelance contractor beheaded on video, took a new twist last night when Iraqi police claimed they had arrested four suspects with links to Saddam Hussein's family. Iraqi security officials said Berg's alleged killers were part of a group led by a close relative of Saddam - his nephew Yasser al-Sabawi. The men were seized a week ago after a tip-off, they said. All were former members of the Fedayeen Saddam, the paramilitary group notorious for its loyalty to Iraq's ex-president.But last night the US military spokesman, Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, said American forces had arrested four men linked to the Berg case after a raid in Baghdad. Two had been released and two were still being questioned. He said: '"I don't know their prior affiliations or prior organisations. We have some intelligence that would suggest they have knowledge, perhaps some culpability." It was not clear whether the two raids were related. The contradictory revelations add to the confusion in the circumstances surrounding the kidnapping and execution of Berg, who disappeared after checking out of his Baghdad hotel on April 10. Yesterday, however, the trail appeared to lead instead to Saddam's hometown of Tikrit. Iraqi officials said the men had been arrested in Salaheddin province, which includes Tikrit, shortly after Berg's headless body was dumped last week near a Baghdad flyover. Al-Sabawi was not among those arrested, the Iraqi official said. Police intelligence agents seized the men as they arrived to "plot other major operations", the officer told the Associated Press, without elaborating. Four suspects had arrived early for the 7pm meeting and were inside the house, waiting for a fifth associate who escaped arrest, he said. The Iraqi police appear to have done a poor job of protecting their informant, who was killed by unidentified gunmen the following day, the official admitted. Police seized weapons and explosives at the scene. Last night the suspects were believed to be still in Iraqi hands. Posted by: Dan Darling 2004-05-22 |
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