An internet auction house in Germany on Monday featured what was said to be the bronze lower left leg of the statue of Saddam Hussein that was toppled in the heart of Baghdad last year as millions of television viewers watched.
The 170cm cast-bronze leg from mid-thigh downward, weighing 600kg, was all that was left standing on the plinth at al-Ferdaous Square in Baghdad when United States forces pulled down the statue on April 9 2003, to the cheers of a crowd of Baghdad residents.
The owner, identified by the German-based Azubo.de internet auction site only as Paul911, claimed to have obtained the artefact from ”contacts” after Allied forces removed it from the plinth in clean-up activities after the statue was pulled down.
Pictures accompanying the auction offer showed the lower part of a bronze leg set on what appeared to be a cement base in front of a plaque bearing the inscription ”Saddam Hussein Statue, Al-Ferdaous, Baghdad, 9 April 2003”.
Also on view were close-ups from news photographs showing the statue being pulled down, leaving the lower left leg lying atop the plinth.
Claiming claimed he was ”convinced” of the piece’s authenticity, the seller posted a reserve of €100 000 euros. — Sapa-DPA