The DNA test that officials said confirmed Saddam Hussein’s identity hours after his capture was a quick version of the one now routine in forensic science, experts say.
The evaluation to rule out a look-alike compares genetic material from the captured man with stored samples from the deposed Iraqi leader or from close relatives–presumably his sons Udai and Qusai, killed in a gun battle with U.S. troops in July. By analyzing several bits of DNA using a technique called polymerase chain reaction, a match can be determined.
“Either they had direct evidence from a hairbrush or something that he wore or drank from, or they put it together from his relatives, probably his sons,” said Lawrence Kobilinsky, an expert on forensic DNA testing and associate provost at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.
“Either way, they could say with certainty what his profile was … in a matter of 10 hours or less,” he said.