The lead lawyer for former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and his seven co-defendants says the defense team will not appear for the next court session because of security concerns.
Khalil al-Dulaimi said Wednesday that he and his colleagues will not attend a hearing November 28, unless they have international guarantees for their personal security.
Their decision comes a day after a second member of their team was murdered in less than three weeks.
Meanwhile, Iraqi police say the brother of parliament speaker Hajim al-Hassani was kidnapped late Tuesday near Kirkuk. Elsewhere, attacks in Baquba and Baghdad killed at least seven people.
And the U.S. military says American and Iraqi forces have finished clearing operations in the western border town of Husaybah, which is believed to be a major entry point from Syria for foreign fighters and weapons.
Some information for this report provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
