'Comical Ali' wanted to surrender (the saga continues)

News24 ^ | April 24 2003

[knighthawk]

Lisbon - Mohammad Said al-Sahhaf, the Iraqi information minister whose briefings made him a worldwide celebrity during the recent war and who is now high on a list of people wanted by the United States, tried to hand himself in via a contact with Portuguese journalists, a newspaper said on Thursday.

The Portuguese daily Diario de Noticias said a family claiming to be sheltering Sahhaf, reportedly in the women's section of a home in a poor neighbourhood of Baghdad, had been in contact with two journalists, but they had failed to come up with the former information chief.

The reporters, one from Diario and the other from the weekly magazine Visao, had acted on a rumour that Sahhaf was hiding out in the home of a former civil servant, the paper said.

A member of the family in question had negotiated with the reporters for five days, saying that the former aide's presence in their home was unwanted.

The family member told the reporters that Sahhaf "wants to hand himself over to the Americans, but doesn't know how to do it," Diario said.

The reporters said they had received the promise of an interview with Sahhaf via the reported host, and said that in exchange they would help him to hand himself over safely to US forces.

However, at the time and place agreed for the interview, only the person they had spoken to turned up, and he told the reporters to simply forget about the whole affair and not to mention it to anyone, the paper said.

The reported host had said the former minister was being sheltered "in the women's room, a completely protected part of the house, where no-one enters."

He added that Sahhaf had been practically cut off from the outside world since US forces entered Baghdad on April 7, save for news received via the BBC on a short-wave radio.

[AStack75]

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

He's a BBC listener? No wonder he thought America was losing the war

Ha. Since he's hearing that every person in Iraq is protesting against America he's probably expecting to become the new Iraqi Dictator.

[Manish Boy]

He can be the new Joe Isuzu!

[BunnySlippers]

Bookmarking

[lsee]

He's alive? Does he know he's a celebrity?

[wheathead]

I love this guy!!!!!
I can't wait till he's on Conan!!

[Joe 6-pack]

Now I see a role for the French military in post war Iraq. Members of their elite 325th Special Capitulation Brigade can be infiltrated and teach morons like Bob the etiquette and protocol of surrender.

[nicmarlo]

[farmfriend]

Isn't this the guy who suppoesedly hung himself in Iran? Now he wants to turn himself in? This man has talent!

[Willie Green]

I imagine Baghdad Bob dashing around in a perpetual panic from window blind to window blind, in nothing but a pair of boxers and black socks, and bottle of Scotch --

That's odd. I pictured him trying to disquise himself as a woman wearing a burqua.
I guess thinking about Baghdad Bob in boxers just ain't on my radar screen.

[Wolfstar]

Not so simple for Baghdad Bob. He called the Portugese because there are no American infidels in Baghdad.

[sweetliberty]

Most appropriate pic. I DO miss Baghdad Bob. Hehehe.....

[6ppc]

I think he should go to work as Galloway's PR guy.

Not bad. I was going to recommend him as the new public relations director at HealthSouth. Someone at work posted a pic of that, but I haven't found it here on FR. Anyone have a link?

[ancient_geezer]

The reported host had said the former minister was being sheltered "in the women's room, a completely protected part of the house, where no-one enters."

He added that Sahhaf had been practically cut off from the outside world since US forces entered Baghdad on April 7, save for news received via the BBC on a short-wave radio.

A step up for ole Bahgdad Bob, harem guard and eunuch?

[sweetliberty]

"Sahhaf "wants to hand himself over to the Americans, but doesn't know how to do it,"

ROTFLMBO! That is TOO good. Just think of the new reality show....The Baghdad Bob Reality Comedy Show.

So, he WASN'T found hanged? Was that just a rumor?

[sweetliberty]

"He's a BBC listener? No wonder he thought America was losing the war"

ROTFL!

[sweetliberty]

"Locate any Coalition soldier in Iraq and turn your silly arse in."

He cannot do that. There ARE no American soldiers in Iraq. They all committed suicide, so great was there fear of Saddam's forces.

[6ppc]

I nominate that as the "French Put Down of the Day". Good one!

[sweetliberty]

"Is he one of the figures on the deck of cards?"

.

[nicmarlo]

He, most definitely, was comic relief!