Iraqi police foil attempt to smuggle 5 vintage cars owned by Saddam's son

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Car lovers in Iraq, tired of an endless parade of sand-colored Humvees, got a bit of a treat Monday when police discovered five fancy cars - each a tad dusty - once owned by a notorious son of former dictator Saddam Hussein. The cars, two Rolls Royces and several vintage classics, had been stolen from Odai Hussein's palace during the looting after the US-led invasion in 2003, police said. For years, the cars were buried beneath the dirt of an orchard in Baghdad's Dora neighborhood. A group planned to smuggle the cars out of the country and sell them, said a police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. Odai Hussein and his younger brother, Qusai, were both killed in a gunbattle with US forces in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in 2003, a few months after the invasion of Iraq. Saddam's sons lived lavish lifestyles during their father's time in power, notorious to Iraqis for their cruelty. Odai, in charge of Iraqi sports, was accused of punishing poor performances with torture or prison.