Iraqi flees alleged persecution

A MAN who escaped from Saddam Hussein’s regime and reportedly survived four Iraqi attempts on his life has fled Ireland after claiming he was persecuted by authorities here.

Latif Yahia, who is due to publish a second book on his life as a double for Saddam's son, Uday, lived in Ireland after fleeing Iraq in the 1990s. However, after being publicly accused of firearms offences and, last weekend, of being a suspected Iraqi agent, Mr Latif said he has had enough. He claims the reports, published in various newspapers, are directly related to warnings made to him in Ireland by people he described as members of the intelligence services.

Speaking yesterday from his new home in Britain, Mr Latif said: "They told me they would make my life hell if I did not do one, two, three, four." He would not say what he was asked to do but warned: "I have tapes of conversations and will tell everything. I say to them just leave me alone." In two separate reports, Latif was accused of possessing a handgun: "Police came and searched the house. They found a toy gun. They brought me to the station but there were no charges."