French lawyer says he will defend Saddam

PARIS -- A French lawyer, known for defending terrorists and a Nazi leader, said Saturday he will defend Saddam Hussein.

Jacques Verges told France-Inter radio he had received a letter from Saddam's family requesting him to defend the former Iraqi leader in court. He did not name the person who sent the letter.

U.S. officials have said they will bring Saddam to trial for alleged crimes against Iraqi people. But the location of any trial and its format and date have not yet been decided.

Saddam is being held by U.S. forces at an undisclosed location.

Verges has defended Venezuelan terrorist Carlos the Jackal, whose real name is Ilich Ramirez, and Klaus Barbie, a Nazi Gestapo chief in France in World War II, who was convicted of crimes against humanity in Lyon, France.