Saddam stayed strong, defiant to the end

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Saddam Hussein never bowed his head, until his neck snapped.

His last words were equally defiant.

"Down with the traitors, the Americans, the spies and the Persians."

The final hour of Iraq's former ruler began about 5 a.m. Saturday, when American troops escorted him from Camp Cropper, near the Baghdad airport, to another American base at the heart of the city, Camp Justice.

There, he was handed over to a newly trained unit of the Iraqi National Police, with whom he would later exchange curses. Iraq took full custody of Saddam at 5:30 a.m.

Two American helicopters flew 14 witnesses from the Green Zone to the execution site — a former headquarters of the deposed government's much feared military intelligence outfit, the Istikhbarat, now inside the American base.

Saddam was escorted into the room where the gallows, with its red railing, stood, greeted at the door by three masked executioners known as Ashmawi. Several of the witnesses present — including Munkith al-Faroun, the deputy prosecutor for the court; Munir Haddad, the deputy chief judge for the Iraqi High Tribunal; and Sami al-Askari, a member of parliament — described in detail how the execution unfolded and independently recounted what was said.

To protect himself from the bitter cold before dawn during the short trip, Saddam wore a 1940s-style wool cap, a scarf and a long black coat over a white collared shirt.

His executioners wore black ski masks, but Saddam could still see their deep brown skin and hear their dialects, distinct to the Shiite southern part of the country, where he had so brutally repressed two separate uprisings.

The small room had a foul odor. It was cold, had bad lighting and a sad, melancholy atmosphere. With the witnesses and another 11 people — including guards and the video crew — it was cramped.

Saddam's eyes darted about, trying to take in just who was going to put an end to him.

The executioners took his hat and his scarf.

Saddam, whose hands were bound in front of him, was taken to the judge's room next door. He followed each order he was given.

He sat down and the verdict, finding him guilty of crimes against humanity, was read aloud.

"Long live the nation!" Saddam shouted. "Long live the people! Long live the Palestinians!"