BAGHDAD, 19 August 2007 — The international police organization Interpol yesterday issued a wanted notice for Saddam Hussein’s eldest daughter, who is sought by the Iraqi government on suspicion of terrorism. Interpol’s “Red Notice” is not an international arrest warrant but a request for foreign police forces to cooperate in tracking down 38-year-old Raghad Hussein and in extraditing her to face justice in Iraq.
“A judicial order was issued against Raghad a year ago by the Central Criminal Court accusing her of funding terrorism,” Iraqi Interior Ministry operations director Maj. Gen. Abdel Karim Khalaf said. “Her arrest would depend on Jordanian authorities as she is staying in Amman and the order of Interpol binds on all countries who are associated with it.”
Raghad has lived in Jordan since July 2003 and since last year has been on a list of 41 people associated with her father’s regime that the new Iraqi government is seeking to prosecute for allegedly inciting violence.
Known for her aggressive temper, Raghad has taken a more public role in defending her father, who was executed Dec. 30 last year, than her sister Rana or her mother Sajida. Sajida is also subject to an Iraqi arrest warrant.
In the Jordanian capital Amman, Issam Al-Ghazzawi, a lawyer and member of Saddam’s former defense team, said: “Raghad is a guest of his majesty the king. Iraq asked Jordan to extradite her last year, but the kingdom refused.”
