Iraq's 'King of Clubs' Appears Online

He was the king of clubs. Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the highest-ranking member of Saddam Hussein's government still at large, appears to have turned up in an online video posted yesterday, railing against Iraq's government, reports the AP. In the hour-long video, which appears on a website linked to the Baath party, the man criticizes Iraq's Shiite-led government and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, as well as meddling by Shiite neighbor Iran. Al-Douri has not been seen in public since the invasion of Iraq nine years ago, but he has made several audio tapes and is thought to be a major financier of Iraq's Sunni insurgency.

"Everyone can hear the sounds of danger echoing daily and threatening this country," he said, adding that al-Maliki's Dawa Party "has announced Iraq as the Shiite capital, and called on all Arab leaders to surrender to this reality." While the identity of the man in the video cannot be confirmed, the resemblance is close and the video appeared on a website linked to the Baath party. "Al-Douri wants to spread terrorism and sectarian violence under the pretext of resistance," said a spokesman for al-Maliki. (More Iraq stories.)