There is confusion surrounding the fate - and indeed the authenticity - of Saddam's left leg after German customs seized the remnant of the bronze statue on the grounds that its owner does not have valid import documents for the limb.

To recap, the leg turned up on German auction site azubo.de after British soldiers apparently swiped it following the famous and televised official Hussein toppling ceremony in Baghdad. How it made its way to Duisburg remains a mystery, and the plot thickened over the last couple of days when various news reports suggested that it was a fake.

Despite the suspicions, it was eventually sold for around £6k to someone who wanted it as a birthday prezzie for his dear old dad. Unfortunately, this lovely surprise gift may not now grace some old timer's mantlepiece after the net closed on the vendor. We await with bated breath the next exciting chapter in the ongoing saga of Saddam's left leg. ®

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