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Saddam Tribunal judge killed in Iraq
It was the first time that a member of the special tribunal trying Saddam Hussein was assassinated.
A judge on the special tribunal, that will put Saddam Hussein and members of his former regime on trial, was assassinated in the Iraqi capital, according to an Iraqi police official and a media report.
Judge Barwez Mohammed Mahmoud and a relative were killed on Tuesday in northern Baghdad's Azamyiah district, the official said on Wednesday on condition of anonymity.
Al-Arabiya, the Dubai-based satellite TV news network, also reported that the judge and a relative died in an attack. The judge's exact relationship to the other victim wasn't immediately known. The network said they lived in the same house in northern Baghdad, near the attack site.
Officials with the Iraqi government and the Iraqi Special Tribunal couldn't be reached before dawn for comment.
Mahmoud's role on the tribunal was unclear, but the law establishing it called for up to 20 investigative judges and up to 20 prosecutors. It also said the tribunal would have one or more trial chambers, each with five judges. The judges have not even been identified in public because of concerns for safety.
The killing came just one day after five former members of Saddam Hussein's regime - including one of his half brothers - were referred to trial for crimes against humanity.
The announcement on Monday by the tribunal marked the first time that the special court issued referrals, similar to indictments, which are the final step before trials can start.
