Iraq demands former UK soldier return piece of Saddam Hussein's buttock
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kurds topple the statue of Saddam Hussein in Kirkuk, Northern Iraq in 2003. (AP)
More than five years after Saddam Hussein was executed, Iraq still wants a piece of its former president: his buttock, currently being held by an ex-UK soldier.
Nigel Ely, 52, grabbed a 2-pound piece of Hussein’s bronze statue – that made up part of his rear-end -- when it was pulled down by Iraqis in 2003, the Sun reports.
Ely claims he is the legal owner of the buttock since he has turned it into a work of art. But the Iraqi government is demanding that he returns it or face possible theft charges, as it views the piece of scrap metal as a “cultural antiquity,” the Sun reports.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ely attempted to auction off the buttock last year to raise money for injured troops through military charities, but was unsuccessful.
"When I got it, it was just a piece of scrap metal,” he told the Sun.
British police are investigating ownership of the buttock.
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