'Saddam' denies ordering Najaf bombing

An audio tape purporting to be Saddam Hussein today denied involvement in the deadly car bombing in the holiest Iraqi Shiite Muslim city of Najaf.

The Qatar-based satellite broadcaster Al-Jazeera broke into programming to play a purported Saddam tape in which the fallen dictator denied his involvement in the attack that killed more than 100 people, including revered Shiite cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim.

“Maybe many of you have heard the hiss of the snakes, the servants of the occupiers, how they accused us without any evidence of killing of al-Hakim,” the voice said.

The voice said he (Saddam) was the leader of all Iraqi people, suggesting he would not launch an attack on any particular ethnic or religious group – Shiites included.

“Saddam Hussein is not the leader of a minority or a group within a group. He the leader of the great Iraqi people,” the voice said.

During his rule, Saddam drew most of his support from Sunni Muslims, a minority that oppressed the Shiite majority for decades.

The last audiotape purportedly from Saddam was broadcast August 1.

On that tape, the speaker said the former leader would “at any moment” defeat the American occupation forces and return to power.

That tape also said looters of government property should not worry about retribution from Saddam and instead should join the guerrilla war and become “a loaded rifle in the face of the invading foreigner.”

Quoting the Koran, the voice said:

“Ye believers, if a corrupt person brought you news, check it well before accusing arbitrarily. Otherwise, you will regret your accusation.”

Many in Najaf blamed the bombing on Saddam loyalists.

Police officials have said they have 19 suspects in custody, many of them foreigners and all with alleged al-Qaida links.

It was not possible immediately to determine if the tape was authentic.