Latif Yahia
Encyclopedia
Dr. Latif Yahia al-Salihi (born June 14, 1964) is an Iraq
i born author, blogger, Ph.D in International Law, and former military officer in the Iran-Iraq War
. Latif was forcibly recruited to be the body double
of Saddam Hussein
's eldest son Uday Hussein
.
Latif's second series of encounters with Uday came after the Iran-Iraq war had begun. Latif's unit received a dispatch ordering Latif (then 23) to report to the Presidential Palace. Upon arriving at the Palace, Latif was informed that he was to become Uday's fedai (body double) to make public appearances in the guise of Uday whenever a dangerous situation was expected. Latif initially refused to take on the dangerous job and was subsequently put in solitary confinement
. After the imprisonment, Latif agreed to pose as the body double for Uday. He was trained for 6 months to imitate Uday's speech patterns and manner. He underwent surgery and dental work to make their appearances more similar.
During Iraq's invasion of Kuwait Latif was used as a morale booster for the Iraqi troops and sent to Basra
posing as Uday to meet with troops.
When a woman Uday was interested in paid more attention to Latif, Uday shot at him, grazing him. Latif fled north, where he was imprisoned by Kurdish
rebels, being mistaken for Uday. Eventually his captors realized that he was not Uday. He was released and granted asylum in Austria
in 1992.
In an interview with BBC News
HARDtalk in 2009, Yahia called Uday Hussein "worse than a psychopath" and related an incident where Uday took "a beautiful woman and transformed her into a barely breathing hunk of meat". He added that the woman was later murdered and her body dumped.
At least two British journalists have written that Yahia's claim to have been Uday Hussein's body double is a fabrication; and that many of his purported activities since leaving Iraq in 1992, including having a doctorate in international law, have not been verified.
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i born author, blogger, Ph.D in International Law, and former military officer in the Iran-Iraq War
Iran-Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century...
. Latif was forcibly recruited to be the body double
Political decoy
A political decoy is a person employed to impersonate a politician, in order to draw attention away from the real person or to take risks on their behalf...
of Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's eldest son Uday Hussein
Uday Hussein
Uday Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti , was the eldest son of Saddam Hussein from his first wife, Sajida Talfah. He was the brother of Qusay Hussein. Uday was for several years seen as the heir apparent of his father; however, Uday lost his place in the line of succession due to his erratic behavior and...
.
Life
Latif was born to Muslim parents, Yahia al-Salihi, a wealthy businessman and Bahark al-Midjadi. Because of his businessman father's wealth, Latif was able to attend the best schools in Iraq in order to get a good education. While attending school at the age of 15, Latif became classmates with Uday Hussein. Latif's classmates picked up on the fact that he had a resemblance to Uday.Latif's second series of encounters with Uday came after the Iran-Iraq war had begun. Latif's unit received a dispatch ordering Latif (then 23) to report to the Presidential Palace. Upon arriving at the Palace, Latif was informed that he was to become Uday's fedai (body double) to make public appearances in the guise of Uday whenever a dangerous situation was expected. Latif initially refused to take on the dangerous job and was subsequently put in solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
. After the imprisonment, Latif agreed to pose as the body double for Uday. He was trained for 6 months to imitate Uday's speech patterns and manner. He underwent surgery and dental work to make their appearances more similar.
During Iraq's invasion of Kuwait Latif was used as a morale booster for the Iraqi troops and sent to Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
posing as Uday to meet with troops.
When a woman Uday was interested in paid more attention to Latif, Uday shot at him, grazing him. Latif fled north, where he was imprisoned by Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
rebels, being mistaken for Uday. Eventually his captors realized that he was not Uday. He was released and granted asylum in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
in 1992.
In an interview with BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
HARDtalk in 2009, Yahia called Uday Hussein "worse than a psychopath" and related an incident where Uday took "a beautiful woman and transformed her into a barely breathing hunk of meat". He added that the woman was later murdered and her body dumped.
At least two British journalists have written that Yahia's claim to have been Uday Hussein's body double is a fabrication; and that many of his purported activities since leaving Iraq in 1992, including having a doctorate in international law, have not been verified.
Film
- A movie The Devil's DoubleThe Devil's DoubleThe Devil's Double is a 2011 drama film directed by Lee Tamahori and starring Dominic Cooper, Philip Quast, Ludivine Sagnier and Raad Rawi. It was released on January 22, 2011 at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and was released in limited theaters on July 29, 2011 by Lionsgate and Herrick...
directed by Lee TamahoriLee TamahoriLee Tamahori is a New Zealand filmmaker best known for directing the 1994 film Once Were Warriors and the 2002 James Bond film Die Another Day.-Upbringing and early career:...
and starring Dominic CooperDominic CooperDominic Edward Cooper is an English actor. He has worked in TV, film, theatre and radio, in productions including Mamma Mia!, The Duchess, The History Boys, and The Devil's Double.- Early life :...
was filmed in MaltaMaltaMalta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
in early 2010, and was released on January 22, 2011 at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival2011 Sundance Film FestivalThe 27th annual Sundance Film Festival took place from January 20, 2011 until January 30, 2011 in Park City, Utah, with screenings in Salt Lake City, Utah, Ogden, Utah, and Sundance, Utah....
and was released in limited theaters on July 29, 2011 by LionsgateLions Gate EntertainmentLions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
and Herrick Entertainment.
- Tao of Peace Documentary Film, 13 people on a road-trip from Jerusalem to Tripoli looking for peace. Tao of Peace Documentary Film.
- The Journey of an Olive Tree Documentary Film 2009, Different enemy countries come together, what would happen when nine strangers from Different enemy countries come together. Breaking the Ice between cultures, Religions and Nationalities, we strive for tolerance and understanding in the belief that our humanity will unite us. Our journey from Jerusalem to Tripoli 5,800 km, through the Sahara desert took us the participants; Mohammad azzam Al-arjah of (PALESTINE) Colonel Ray Benson (USA) Gil Fogiel (ISRAEL) Galit Oren (ISRAEL) Yevgen Petrovich Koshushko (UKRAINE) Neda Sarmast (IRAN-USA) Capt. (USA) Dr. Latif Yahia (IRAQ-Ireland) one month to complete with no influence from the outside world these disparate people had the time to get to know one another without the prejudices that the world places upon them. It is a monument to the fact that when all the misconceptions and cultural stereotyping is taken away we can all live together and like each other. This Peace Mission took place in March 2006. The Journey of an Olive Tree, Documentary Film 2009.
Books
- I was Saddam's Son released on May 1, 1997 by Arcade PublishingArcade PublishingArcade Publishing is an independent trade publishing company that started in 1988 in New York, USA. They are publishers of American and world fiction and non-fiction...
Hardcover: 250 pages Co-author: Karl Wendl. (translated to German as Ich War Saddams Sohn on March 1, 2003) Although the book was published in 1997, the story never received widespread media attention until after the 2003 invasion of Iraq2003 invasion of IraqThe 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
six years later. The book has sold over 6.6 million copies worldwide in twenty languages. - The Devil's Double released on June 5, 2003 by Arrow Books Ltd. Paperback: 334 pages.
- The Black Hole,The Real Story How the CIA destroyed Latif Yahia's life,Author of "I Was Saddam's Son" and "The Devil's Double" After his Escape to the West reveals the role of the American CIA !! released on November 20, 2006 by Arcanum Publishing Paperback: 224 pages.'
- The Devil's Double Book in facebook