Iraqi VP defiant in terror verdict

BAGHDAD -- From self-exile in Turkey, Iraq's fugitive vice president scoffed yesterday at a Baghdad court that sentenced him to the gallows for masterminding death squads against rivals, describing it as a puppet of the prime minister and saying he will not return to appeal the verdict.

The conviction of Tariq al-Hashemi, one of the highest-ranking Sunnis, rids Shia Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of a top political foe while threatening to deepen the rift between Iraq's main Muslim sects as the nation struggles to achieve stability nine months after U.S. troops withdrew.

Hours after the verdict was announced on Sunday, insurgents launched fierce bombings against mostly Shia neighborhoods in the capital, killing 92 and wounding more than 360. In a statement posted on a militant website, Iraq's wing of al-Qaida claimed responsibility for the countrywide attacks and promised "black days ahead." Later in the day, a car bomb exploded outside a restaurant in southwest Baghdad, killing eight people and wounding 32, security and health officials said.

Al-Hashemi, appearing alternately affable and defiant at a packed news conference in Turkey's capital, maintained his innocence after being found guilty of organizing the murders of a lawyer and a Shia security officer. -- AP