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Interpol warrant against Saddam's daughter

April 21, 2010 15:35 IST

Interpol has issued an arrest warrant against former Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein's eldest daughter Raghad Hussein after she was charged with supporting terrorist activities in Iraq.

The website of the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO) states that the arrest warrant for Raghad Saddam Hussein has been primarily issued at Baghdad's request.

Raghad Hussein, who lives in Amman, Jordan, under the protection of King Abdullah II, was charged in November 2006 with supporting the Iraqi insurgency.

But in the murky world of Middle East politics, neither the warrant nor the charges against her has created much of a stir, Fox News reports.

Jordanian authorities have reaffirmed their support for her.

The charges cited against her are that of 'crimes against life and health' and 'inciting terrorism'.

Vanderbilt University Professor Mike Newton, who helped set up the Iraqi War Crimes Tribunal, said the revised warrant was issued by the Central Criminal Court of Iraq (CCCI), a different court than the one that gave her father a death sentence.

'Iraq law works differently than ours. It focuses on the event or crime, and lists everyone involved. Western law focuses on the person and then lists the crime,' said Newton, adding that the new charge is based on evidence directly linking the 42-year-old to terror bombings meant to disrupt last month's Iraqi elections.

Iraqi officials suspect that Raghad Hussein has been a constant support to terrorist networks and has been financing them for years to carry out their destructive plans in Iraq.

Source: ANI