ISIS reportedly capture, execute Saddam Hussein trial judge

Judge Raouf Abdel-Rahman, the Iraqi judge who presided over former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s 2006 trial, has been captured and executed by the Islamic fundamentalist group ISIS, according to a report from the Egyptian newspaper Al-Mesyroon.

Abdel-Rahman’s execution was reportedly labeled as revenge for the death of Hussein. While his death has not yet been confirmed by the Iraqi government, Jordanian MP Khalil Attieh appeared to confirm the development on Monday.

Attieh also claimed that Rahman was only captured when he attempted to flee Baghdad. He is believed to have been captured on 16 June and executed around two days later.

His attempted escape came after widespread rumours that he had sought asylum in Britain, fearing he was in danger.

Abdel-Rahman headed a five-judge panel that heard five months of testimony in 2006. That court eventually sentenced Hussein to death by hanging, a sentence carried out in November of that year.

The militant group ISIS has captured large portions of northern Iraq and Syria and, on Sunday, announced the capture of two border posts linking Iraq, Syria, and Jordan.