Saddam Nephew Gets Life in Prison

A nephew of Saddam Hussein was sentenced Monday to life in prison for funding Iraq's violent insurgency and for bomb-making, the government said in announcing the first verdict against a family member of the ousted leader.

Ayman Sabawi (search), the son of Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan (search), a half brother of Saddam, was captured in May by security forces during a raid on Tikrit, the former leader's hometown. His father, Al-Hassan, who served as a presidential adviser before the U.S.-led invasion, was captured there two months earlier.

The Iraqi authorities had not announced that Sabawi's trial was under way.

Tareq Khalaf Mizal (search), who was arrested with Sabawi, also was convicted for possessing and making of roadside bombs. He was given a six-year sentence.

The Iraqi Central Criminal Court in Baghdad said Sabawi would face a second trial beginning Nov. 1 for other, unspecified crimes to which he allegedly confessed during pretrial interrogation.

In July, the U.S. Treasury froze the U.S. assets of six of al-Hassan's sons, including those of Sabawi.