Attempt to smuggle vintage cars owned by Saddam’s son foiled

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 neighbourhood.

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 authorised to talk to the media.

Police learned of the plan after a tipoff, he said. They followed large trucks into the orchard to find the spot where the cars were buried and then arrested three people.

The cars, now in police possession, were shown to the media on Monday. It was unclear what would become of them. 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 timein power, notorious to Iraqis for their cruelty. Odai, in charge of Iraqi sports, was accused of punishing poor performances with torture or prison. Despite that, many Iraqis now consider the two sons martyrs for fighting back against US forces during the gunbattle that killed them.