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Iraq`s former parliament speaker held by US troops: Relative
Baghdad, June 11: Coalition troops arrested Iraq`s former parliament speaker Saadun Hammadi at his home here on May 29, one of his relatives told.
Baghdad, June 11: Coalition troops arrested Iraq's former parliament speaker Saadun Hammadi at his home here on May 29, one of his relatives told.
Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) reported that the former Iraqi health minister was
recently freed by coalition troops.
"Iraqi policemen came to see him on May 29 in the morning asking if he was home. Their visit was shortly followed by that of US military police," said the man yesterday, asking to remain anonymous.
"He knew from the day Baghdad fell that he would be wanted for questioning, but arrested, no! we never thought so because he was an honorable man and had left politics since 1991 because of his poor health," he added.
Hammadi was Iraq's parliament speaker until Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled by the US-British coalition troops on April 9.
The relative said a US military officer told him Hammadi would be detained at Baghdad's airport at the time of the arrest.
"We tried to go visit him but we couldn't reach the airport because of US army checkpoints," he said.
"I believe the Americans treat him well because he's a very respectable figure in Iraq and he's an old man too," he said, adding Hammadi was in his mid-seventies.
Hammadi is not on the US army's list of 55 wanted top Iraqi officials.
Bureau Report
"Iraqi policemen came to see him on May 29 in the morning asking if he was home. Their visit was shortly followed by that of US military police," said the man yesterday, asking to remain anonymous.
"He knew from the day Baghdad fell that he would be wanted for questioning, but arrested, no! we never thought so because he was an honorable man and had left politics since 1991 because of his poor health," he added.
Hammadi was Iraq's parliament speaker until Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled by the US-British coalition troops on April 9.
The relative said a US military officer told him Hammadi would be detained at Baghdad's airport at the time of the arrest.
"We tried to go visit him but we couldn't reach the airport because of US army checkpoints," he said.
"I believe the Americans treat him well because he's a very respectable figure in Iraq and he's an old man too," he said, adding Hammadi was in his mid-seventies.
Hammadi is not on the US army's list of 55 wanted top Iraqi officials.
Bureau Report