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Saddam Hussein's son shot, wounded
December 12, 1996
Web posted at: 4:50 p.m. EST (2150 GMT)BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Uday Hussein, son of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, was wounded by unidentified assailants in a gun attack Thursday, Iraqi television reported.
Uday, the eldest son of the Iraqi president who has been described as his heir apparent, was shot while driving in the upscale al-Mansour district of Baghdad. He was rushed to the Ibn Sina Hospital where he was reported in stable condition.
The assassination attempt is perceived as a potentially destabilizing incident for Iraq and as a personal affront to his father, Saddam Hussein, said CNN's Ralph Begleiter, citing Mideast analysts.
"An attack on Uday is, symbolically, an attack on Saddam," Begleiter said.
Uday, 32, heads Iraq's trade and information ministries. He is also known as for his freewheeling lifestyle and has reportedly wrecked several cars.
Saddam's younger son, Qusai, is in control of the elite Republican Guards and the state's security apparatus.
Youth TV, the Iraqi television station that reported the attack, is owned by Uday Hussein. The station interrupted its programming to announce the news.
"He was the target of a cowardly attack which led to a light wound," Youth TV said. Police are still looking for the attackers.
It said police were investigating the incident, but there were no details on who carried out the attack.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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