Is this letter proof that Saddam Hussein is alive?

A letter purporting to come from Saddam Hussein, published in a London-based Arabic newspaper yesterday, calls on Iraqis to rise up and throw out occupying British and American forces.

Abdel Bari Atwan, editor of Al-Quds Al-Arabi, which has taken a pro-Saddam line, said the letter had been received by fax and he believed it was authentic. "It is handwritten, signed by Saddam Hussein and dated 28 April, which is his [66th] birthday," Mr Atwan said. "I have seen his signature before, and this looks like it, but I am not an expert."

Others said neither the handwriting nor the signature appeared similar to other written documents attributed to Saddam, casting doubt on whether he survived the bombing of Baghdad, but Al-Quds quoted sources close to the deposed leader as saying the letter was authentic.

A number of Iraqis claim to have seen Saddam and his son Uday in the Azamiyah district of Baghdad on 9 April, the day his statue was toppled in the centre of the city. A videotape of the "appearance" was broadcast by Abu Dhabi television, but doubt has been cast on whether the figure in the tape is Saddam or one of his doubles.

The letter says Saddam abandoned his palaces a long time ago to live in a "small house", without saying where. There has been speculation he has fled to Syria, or possibly to former Soviet bloc countries that have close trading relations with Iraq, such as Ukraine or Belarus. But if he is alive and still in Iraq, the best hiding place may well be Baghdad: senior regime figures in US custody, including Tariq Aziz, the former deputy prime minister, turned out to have been in the capital all along.

In the letter, Saddam blames his defeat on treason and urges the Iraqi people not to descend into sectarian strife. "Rise up against the occupier ... Don't trust those who speak about Sunnis and Shias, because the only issue now for your great country Iraq is the occupation. There is no priority but to drive out the infidel, criminal and cowardly occupier. No hand has extended to him but those of the traitors and stooges."

The letter-writer then implores Iraqis to "unite, and then the enemy and the traitors who came in with it will flee ... Boycott the occupier. This is your duty under Islam, religion and the nation."

Captured Henchmen

Fourteen of the 55 top-ranking Iraqis on the US 'most wanted' list have been captured. They include:

Tariq Aziz, former deputy prime minister: The only Christian in the higher reaches of the former regime, he was the face of the regime before the 1991 Gulf War but fell from favour.

Farouk Hijazi, ambassador to Tunisia: A former intelligence official who was accused of masterminding an assassination attempt in Kuwait on George Bush Snr after the 1991 war.

Jamal Mustafa Abdullah al-Tikriti, Saddam's son-in-law: Trusted member of inner circle who surrendered in Syria.

Amer Hammoudi al-Saadi, chief negotiator on weapons inspections: If Iraq still has weapons of mass destruction, he is considered most likely to know where they are.

Barzan Ibrahim Hasan al-Tikriti, Saddam's half-brother: Ran Iraq's intelligence service from 1979 to 1983. He is also a former commander of Iraq's air defences.

Watban Ibrahim Hasan al-Tikriti, Saddam's half brother: Captured near the Syrian border.

James Palmer