Brandishing assault rifles and grenade launchers, masked men threatened in a taped message on Thursday to behead any lawyers defending deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
"Saif al-Allah (The Sword of God) group, warns all those who defend the criminal file of the cowardly criminal Saddam ... that we will sever your necks before you arrive," one gunman read from a piece of paper.
The gunman, from a previously unknown group, said in the tape given to Reuters that the warning was for "the Iraqi, Arab and foreign lawyers who have taken on the case of the criminal Saddam".
A defiant Saddam and 11 of his top lieutenants, ousted by US-led forces in April last year, stood before an Iraqi tribunal last Thursday to face charges that could lead to an indictment for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
His Jordan-based defence team said on Wednesday a proposed visit to Baghdad to show support for the jailed former president was shelved after they received death threats.
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