Oy! Already with the conspiracy theories! But it's not like we haven't seen this tactic in a hundred suspense thrillers: Kidnappers negotiate reward, the police/army/FBI bust in unawares and get the hostage and the kidnappers and keep the money.
Boy, if I was those two "unidentified men," I'd be pissed. Still, you should know we're America, dammit, and we don't play by the rules.
DEBKAfile - Indications Saddam Was Not in Hiding But a Captive
Indications Saddam Was Not in Hiding But a CaptiveDEBKAfile Special Report
December 14, 2003, 6:55 PM (GMT+02:00)
A number of questions are raised by the incredibly bedraggled, tired and crushed condition of this once savage, dapper and pampered ruler who was discovered in a hole in the ground on Saturday, December 13:
1. The length and state of his hair indicated he had not seen a barber or even had a shampoo for several weeks.
2. The wild state of his beard indicated he had not shaved for the same period
3. The hole dug in the floor of a cellar in a farm compound near Tikrit was primitive indeed