On Monday, alleged confessions of the four witnesses were read in court, admitting they committed perjury either because they were intimidated by Saddam loyalists or offered rewards by the defense.

The defense team alleged the confessions were forced, and two of the witnesses -- who have since been released and fled abroad -- told The Associated Press they were beaten in detention to make them sign the confessions.

Ibrahim, Saddam's former intelligence chief, was dragged out of the court Monday by guards after he accused Abdel-Rahman of "terrorizing" the defense. When he tried to push off the guards who were grabbing him, they held his left arm and pushed him into a wall as they tried to hustle him out the door, causing an uproar among the defense lawyers.

"This is dictatorial," Ibrahim shouted. "You know dictatorship," Abdel-Rahman sneered in reply.

An American lawyer on the defense team, Curtis Doebbler, lashed out at the court, accusing it of mistreating the defense, ignoring its written motions, intimidating its witnesses and rushing it to finish its case.

"We are at a serious disadvantage to the prosecution because of the way we have been treated by the court," he said. "We want to work for justice. But that must start by having a fair trial. But under the current circumstances, that doesn't seem possible."

Doebbler -- a visiting professor at Najah University in the West Bank -- is one of two American lawyers on the defense team, along with former U.S. attorney general Ramsey Clark.