Saddam's science adviser turns himself in
Coalition designated him 'seven of diamonds' on deck of wanted Iraqis
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This is the playing card handed out to coalition troops depicting al-Saadi. He was also one of the Defense Department's most-wanted Iraqis.
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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Lt. Gen. Amir al-Saadi, Saddam Hussein's top science adviser and Iraq's point man for the last round of U.N. weapons inspections, surrendered to coalition troops Saturday in Baghdad, according to a senior military official at U.S. Central Command.
German television network ZDF helped arrange al-Saadi's surrender and filmed it at the general's request to assure his safety.
ZDF said al-Saadi left his Baghdad home with his German-born wife Helga and surrendered to an American officer, who escorted him away. Al-Saadi also granted the network an interview, and told its reporter that he had no information about other members of the dictatorial regime -- including Saddam Hussein -- and insisted, as he had during the inspections regimen, that Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction.
Al-Saadi turned up Friday as the seven of diamonds on a deck of playing cards Central Command was handing out to coalition forces to help them identify regime leaders who could be "killed or captured" and was No. 55 on a list of wanted regime officials released by the U.S. Department of Defense.
