- Samir Vincent's ongoing court case exemplifies the underreported story of Saddam Hussein's agents who were operating inside the United States in the years prior to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Vincent's trial involves the Oil for Food scandal and implicates the Iraqi agent in attempting to buy off pro-Iraq (pre-invasion) sentiments within the U.S. government and the United Nations on behalf of Baghdad. The FBI's press release details Vincent's admission of guilt as an unregistred Iraqi agent and is available here.
- Another recently concluded trial is that of Shaaban Hafiz Ahmad Ali Shaaban (pictured right).
Shaaban, who had met with Mukhabarat agents in Iraq in 2002, was convicted for acting as an "unregistered agent for the Saddam Hussein regime" inside the United States. In the years before his capture, Shaaban had:
traveled to Baghdad in late 2002 where he offered to sell names of U.S. intelligence agents and operatives to Iraq for $3 million dollars.sought to gain Iraqi support to establish an Arabic television station in the United States that would broadcast news and discussions that would be pro-Iraqi.
sought to enter into a "Cooperation Agreement" where he would be paid a fee by Iraq to organize volunteers to act as human shields to protect Iraqi infrastructure during the war.
broadcasted messages of support for the Iraqi government on Iraqi media stations that advocated support for Iraq and encouraged others to forcibly resist the United States and others who opposed Iraq.
- The case of accused Iraqi sleeper agent, Sami Latchin, is currently in recess.
- Susan Lindauer, another alleged IIS agent operating in the United States, is currently in a Texas mental hospital. She has been relegated to the facility until she is mentally fit to stand trial. Lindauer is said to have been attempting to influence U.S. policy on Iraq, acting as an Iraqi agent on behalf of Saddam Hussein and possibly collaborating with Iraqi "resistance" post-invasion. More information on Lindauer's case here and here.
- The human rights trial of Saddam Hussein, and top members of his former regime, ceased Thursday until mid-October.
- Iraq's Central Criminal Court also continues to prosecute insurgents and terrorists captured in Iraq, many of whom are members of the former regime.
To the victims of the former regime's violence and terror, it may be of some small comfort to see that the members of Saddam Hussein's regime may finally be seeing justice for their crimes.
