The footage, which the channel said was supposed to have been aired by Iraqi television, showed the deposed leader, accompanied by son Qussay, carried shoulder-high by supporters chanting, "With our blood, with our soul, we will redeem you Saddam."

Abu Dhabi TV then aired a picture of Saddam and the speech purported to be his last in which he voiced confidence in "victory" over invading US forces and told the Iraqis that their "leadership is steadfast." It said the speech was also recorded on April 9 but not broadcast.

In the footage, Saddam was seen cheered by supporters brandishing rifles in al-Azamiyah neighborhood, allegedly on the day US forces swept into Baghdad and put an abrupt end to his 24-year rule.

Several supporters jumped to kiss the Iraqi leader, clad in an olive green military uniform and flanked by his personal secretary Abed Hamoud.

The television's correspondent in Baghdad said the footage gave credence to rumors that Saddam was seen praying at a mosque in al-Azamiyah that day.

Abu Dhabi TV said the footage of Saddam had been prepared by Iraqi TV, possibly a hint that it obtained the video from television officials. Its correspondent did not shed further light on his "confidential" sources, but Abu Dhabi TV director Ali al-Ahmad told AFP the video was obtained from a "credible source" in Baghdad earlier Friday.

Saddam's whereabouts have been a mystery since US forces took control of the Iraqi capital, and he had not been seen or heard from since a massive US bombing of a building he was supposed to have entered in Baghdad's al-Mansur district two days before the city's fall.

SPACE.WIRE