Car bomb blast kills head of Saddam's tribe

Tikrit: The head of the tribe of Saddam Hussain was killed in a bomb blast on Tuesday, police said.

Shaikh Ali Al Neda and his driver were killed after a bomb planted in their car exploded near the home village of the late dictator in Awja, north of Baghdad.

Tikrit police officer Major Hassan Emhimid said Neda's guard was also seriously wounded in the explosion.

Neda was the head of the Al Baijat tribe and a member of a delegation representing Saddam's tribe.

He was the one who claimed Saddam's body for burial after the Iraqi leader was executed in 2006 for crimes against humanity.