Iraq wants Saddam Hussein's bronze butt back

London: A British soldier who had taken a piece from the backside of Saddam Hussein’s iconic bronze statue as a souvenir has been told to return the chunk by the country’s government. Nigel Ely, from Derby, is believed to have ripped off a part of the tyrant’s buttock in the aftermath of the toppling, back in 2003, having initially been told to guard a camera crew who were filming the dramatic scene, the Daily Mail reported. [caption id=“attachment_185717” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Nigel Ely, from Derby, is believed to have ripped off a part of the tyrant’s buttock in the aftermath of the toppling, back in 2003, having initially been told to guard a camera crew who were filming the dramatic scene. Reuters”]  [/caption] However, Iraqi leaders are now claiming that the piece is part of the country’s heritage and have threatened to charge Ely with theft unless he hands back the metal. Ely, 52, had planned on auctioning the piece in order to raise funds for charity, and has even insisted that he is willing to share the proceeds with Iraqi  charities. “When I got it, it was just a piece of scrap metal. I am only doing this to raise money for military charities,” Ely was quoted as saying by the Sun, another British newspaper. “If the Iraqis want to split the proceeds to give some to Iraqi charities, I am happy to listen.” Ely arrived in the city’s Firdos Square just after the statue of Saddam had been torn down. He then helped himself to the souvenir after using a hammer and crowbar to prise off the piece after American soldiers overturned the monument in Baghdad. Hussein, who had governed over Iraq from July 1979 until April 2003 was eventually captured and hanged in 2006 after being found hiding in a hole. Hansons Auctioneers were expected to oversee the sale of the piece of metal, about 2ft by 2ft with several collectors from around the world expected to bid for the war relic. However, with police now investigating the ownership rights of the scrap, it is unclear whether the auction will proceed as expected. PTI