A lawyer working for Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, one of the co-defendants of ousted president Saddam Hussein on trial over the massacre of Shia civilians from the town of Dujail, was shot and wounded by armed men in Baghdad on Tuesday, an interior ministry source said.
Lawyer Tamer Hammud Hadi was helping with the defence of Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, a Saddam half-brother, on charges that he shared responsibility for the 1982 massacre of more than 140 Shia villagers.
Hadi was wounded while another attorney, Adel Mohammed Abbas, was killed when armed gunmen opened fire on them at 1.30pm (10.30am GMT) on Tuesday in the Adl neighbourhood of Baghdad, the source said.
Barzan once headed the feared Mukhabarat intelligence service.
The trial of Saddam and his seven co-defendants opened on October 19. All pleaded not guilty. If convicted they could be executed.
Detained on April 16, 2003, Barzan was number 52 on the wanted list issued by United States commanders after their March 2003 invasion, and was the five of clubs in a pack of playing cards issued to troops.
He remained one of Saddam’s most trusted aides and managed the Saddam’s personal fortune until 1995. He is also believed to have coordinated covert purchases in Europe for the regime’s prized weapons programmes. – AFP