Fox pictured al-Douri entering the departure lounge at New York's J.F. Kennedy airport.

The report and other sources said the envoy would take Air France flight 009, leaving at 10:55pm (0255 GMT Thursday) and arriving at Paris Charles DeGaulle Airport at 11:50am Thursday (0950 GMT).

Al-Douri, who defended Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein during multiple debates at the United Nations, would not comment when asked if the US government had had any hand in his departure.

SPACE.WIRE