Latif Yahia

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Latif Yahia
Yahia in 2009
Yahia in 2009
BornLatif Yahia or لطيف يحيى in Arabic
(1964-06-14) 14 June 1964 (age 59)
Baghdad, Iraq
Years active1997–present
Military career
AllegianceIraq
Years of serviceIraqi Armed Forces (1980–1987)
Battles/warsIran–Iraq War

Latif Yahia (

Arabic: لطيف يحيى, Laṭīf Yaḥīa; born 14 June 1964[1]) is an Iraqi blogger, political writer, and former lieutenant that served in the Iran–Iraq War. He is known for being the alleged former body double of Uday Hussein, infamous elder son of Saddam Hussein
.

Biography

Yahia was born to a wealthy merchant family of

invasion of Kuwait, Yahia was used as a morale booster for the Iraqi troops and sent to Basra posing as Uday to meet with troops.[2][3]

His relationship with Uday later deteriorated. According to Yahia, the final straw came when a woman Uday was interested in paid more attention to Yahia. Uday shot at him, grazing him. When ordered to kill the father of a beauty pageant holder, a defiant Yahia slit his arms in front of Uday and the father.[4] Yahia fled north in November 1991, where he was arrested by Kurdish Peshmerga, being mistaken for Uday. When they realized he was not Uday, he was released and granted asylum in Austria in 1992. After Yahia was attacked in Austria, he moved to London in 1995.[2]

Challenges to Yahia's claims

Sunday Times journalist Ed Caesar have questioned Yahia's various claims, including that he was Uday Hussein's body double, and pointed out that many of Yahia's activities since leaving Iraq in 1992, including his education, have not been verified.[5][6] In 2011, Caesar interviewed various people from the time of the Hussein regime who said they had never heard of Yahia, nor of Uday ever using doubles.[5] Yahia disputes these claims, saying that his very existence was a state secret.[7]

Personal life

Yahia currently lives in Germany. He is married and has 3 children.[8] He also lived in Cyprus.[9]

Film

The movie The Devil's Double, directed by Lee Tamahori and starring Dominic Cooper as Yahia and Uday, premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival on 22 January 2011.[10]

Yahia was also the subject of an episode of

National Geographic Channel's Locked Up Abroad in 2012.[11]

Books

References

  1. ^ a b "بديل عدي صدام حسين يروي لـ "الوسط" . قصة نهب الكويت وقصة تابوت الذهب". Al-Hayat (in Arabic). 17 October 1994. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Being Double to Saddam's Son More than a Job". The Daily Courier. Yavapai County, Arizona. 5 November 1995. p. A12. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  3. ^ "Uday Hussein was 'worse than a psychopath'". Hardtalk. BBC News online. 1 December 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2012..
  4. ^ "My Life as Uday Hussein's Body Double". Newsweek. 17 July 2011.
  5. ^ a b Caesar, Ed (23 January 2011). "The Double Dealer". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  6. ^ Butler, Eoin (13 August 2011). "The Tangled Tale behind The Devil's Double". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  7. ^ Yahia, Latif (14 January 2012). "Dirty Tricks and Media Manipulation". Official Website of Latif Yahia. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  8. ^ "Saddam son's 'double' in fight for Irish citizenship". BBC News. 17 January 2013.
  9. ^ Theodoulou, Michael (27 May 2009). "The bizarre double life of Latif Yahia". The National.
  10. ^ "Lionsgate and Herrick Take on The Devil's Double". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline. 3 February 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  11. ^ "Hellish Prison Cell". Locked up Abroad. National Geographic Channel online. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.[dead link]

External links

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