Saddam Hussein Defiant Until the End

Up until his final minutes former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein still displayed the arrogance and defiance that he was known for.

Witnesses to the execution have stated that Hussein refused to wear a hood to cover his face, he argued with one guards after the guard stated that Hussein had destroyed Iraq and he used his last words to mock Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Media sources report a witness as saying: "He seemed very calm. He did not tremble", while another official described Saddam as "a broken man".

One witness said that Hussein could be heard saying, "There is no God but God and Muhammad is his prophet" as the guards took him to the scaffold.

Hussein was hung shortly before 6 a.m. (10 p.m. Friday ET). Witnesses report that he died quickly and after hanging for 10 minutes the noose was removed and the former dictator was pronounced dead. He was then placed in a body bag with only his face showing. Pictures are surfacing all over the internet.

According to Al Jazeera.net, Iraqi television stations showed footage of Saddam being placed in a noose, but cut away just before his execution

After the execution celebrations were taking place throughout Iraq, but the Iraqi prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki used that time to urge Saddam's fellow Baathists to stir clear of their old tactics and join the political process. "I urged followers of the ousted regime to reconsider their stance as the door is still open to anyone who has no innocent blood on his hands, to help in rebuilding an Iraq for all Iraqis," he said.

There is no word on where the former dictator will be buried.