The general prosecutor asked Saddam to whom he wanted to give his Quran. He said Bandar, the son of Awad al-Bandar, the former chief justice of the Revolutionary Court who was also to be executed soon.

The room was quiet as everyone began to pray, including Saddam. "Peace be upon Mohammed and his holy family."

Two guards added, "Supporting his son Muqtada, Muqtada, Muqtada."

Saddam seemed a bit stunned, swinging his head in their direction.

They were talking about Muqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand cleric whose militia is now committing some of the worst violence in the sectarian fighting; he is the son of a revered Shiite cleric, Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr, who many believe Saddam had murdered.

"Muqtada?" he spat out, a mix between sarcasm and disbelief.

The national security adviser in Iraq, Mouwaffak al-Rubaie, asked him if he had any remorse or fear.

"No," he said bluntly. "I am a militant and I have no fear for myself. I have spent my life in jihad and fighting aggression. Anyone who takes this route should not be afraid."

Al-Rubaie, who was standing shoulder to shoulder with Saddam, asked him about the murder of the elder al-Sadr.

They were standing so close to each other that others could not hear the exchange.

One of the guards, though, became angry. "You have destroyed us," the thuggishly-dressed masked man yelled. "You have killed us. You have made us live in destitution."

Saddam was scornful. "I have saved you from destitution and misery and destroyed your enemies, the Persians and Americans."

The guard cursed him. Saddam replied.

Two of the witnesses, apparently uninvolved in selecting the guards, exchanged a quiet joke, saying that they gathered the goal of disbanding the militias had yet to be accomplished.

The deputy prosecutor, al-Faroun, berated the guards, saying, "I will not accept any offense directed at him."

Saddam was led up to the gallows without a struggle. His hands were unbound, put behind his back, then fastened again. He showed no remorse. He held his head high.

"He proved that he was courageous," said one of his bitter enemies who could not help respect his calm in the face of death.

The executioners offered him a hood. He refused. They explained that the thick rope could cut through his neck and offered to use the scarf he had worn earlier to keep that from happening. Saddam accepted.

The platform he stood on was very high, with a deep hole beneath it.

He said a last prayer. And then, his eyes wide open, no stutter or choke in his throat, said his final words cursing the Americans and the Persians.

At 6:10 a.m., the trapdoor swung open. He seemed to fall a good distance, but he died swiftly. After just a minute, he was not moving. His eyes still were open but he was dead. Despite the scarf, the rope cut a gash into his neck.

His body stayed hanging for another nine minutes as those in attendance broke out in prayer, praising the Prophet, at the death of a dictator.