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Rescuers, investigators, and citizens gathered after a massive bomb attack killed more than 90 people near a mosque Saturday in Musayyib, south of Baghdad. Authorities said a liquefied natural gas tank exploded as Shiites headed to prayers. (Getty Images Photo) 1st criminal charges filed against Hussein At least 22 killed in suicide blasts BAGHDAD, Iraq -- As the weekend death toll from a blitz of suicide bombings rose to more than 130, the first criminal charges against Saddam Hussein were filed yesterday, raising the prospect that his much-awaited trial could begin in September. For many Iraqis, it will not be a moment too soon to bring to justice the man whose supporters are blamed in at least some of the relentless insurgent violence, which appears to have spiked yet again with a sustained onslaught during the past week. Announcing the charges, Judge Raed Juhi said a court date will be disclosed within days for Hussein and three of his associates to stand trial for a 1982 crackdown against Shi'ites in the village of Dujail, north of Baghdad, during which 158 people were executed. The earliest date will be in September because of a mandatory 45-day waiting period between the filing of charges and the trial in order for the defense to prepare its case. The Dujail case is only the first of several that may be brought against Hussein, who was linked to human-rights abuses throughout his 25-year rule, some far bloodier than the 1982 crackdown. Amid frustrations with the slow pace of the proceedings and concerns that further delays would encourage more violence, the tribunal shelved plans to hold one mammoth trial and instead aims to try Hussein and former members of his Ba'ath Party regime on a case-by-case basis. ''People want closure and justice. There are still a lot of people who believe the Ba'ath Party is going to come back," said a Western diplomat who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity. There are worries that the trial of Hussein, a Sunni, may exacerbate tensions between the majority Shi'ites who dominate the government and the minority Sunnis whose power is limited in the new democracy. But the Western diplomat said the delay in bringing charges against Hussein, who has been in custody for 19 months, emboldened the insurgency and eroded confidence in the new government. The insurgency's resilience has been demonstrated by suicide bombings that have killed more than 240 people in the past eight days. The resurgence of violence undermines claims by US commanders that several high-profile military operations in recent months depleted the insurgency's capacity to mount attacks. The death toll in the worst attack, a suicide bombing Saturday near a mosque in the mostly Shi'ite town of Musayyib, rose to more than 90, making it the bloodiest bombing since the new government took office in April and the second deadliest insurgent attack since the US invasion. At least 22 people died in four suicide bombings around Baghdad yesterday, including one targeting an office of Iraq's Election Commission that killed five election workers. Iraq is to hold a referendum in October on the new constitution being drafted by the country's politicians, and then plans elections in December. Former Ba'athists are believed to be behind at least some of the violence, though US and Iraqi officials attribute the vast majority of suicide attacks to the Sunni extremist, Al Qaeda-affiliated group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, which has a declared policy of targeting Shi'ite Muslims. The extent to which Zarqawi's group is cooperating with the Ba'athists is unclear, though US officials believe a degree of coordination exists. Many ordinary Iraqis nonetheless remain suspicious that a failure to bring Hussein to justice would leave the possibility open that the insurgency will win and that his regime will be restored. ''There are a lot of people who think Saddam will come back," said Ali Kadhim, who runs the Teeba Supermarket in Baghdad's Saidiyah District and who said he was eager to see the trial begin. ''There are lots of different parties working in his name. They are holding meetings in Syria. The police services are infiltrated, and that's why the government can't stop the violence." One of his customers, overhearing the conversation, disputed the assertion that Ba'athists are responsible for the violence, and insisted that life for ordinary Iraqis was better under Hussein's rule. ''I wish that Saddam would come back," said Omar Qassim, a cellphone company employee who was shopping for groceries in the store. ''Under Saddam, we only saw car bombs on the television. ''I have no love for Saddam, but there are people in charge now who are worse than Saddam, and we have no security and no services," he added. Kadhim acknowledged that he had a point about the electricity. ''I don't want Saddam to come back, but frankly, the services under Saddam were great," he said. Whether the trial will go ahead soon remains uncertain. Past promises that trials are imminent have not materialized, though US and Iraqi government officials are hoping the proceedings will get underway ahead of the next round of voting. Charged along with Hussein were three of his leading associates: Barzan al-Tikriti, his half brother; Taha Yassin Ramadan, his vice president; and Awad Hamad al-Bandar, the Revolutionary Court judge who conducted the secret trials at which most of the Dujail victims were sentenced to death. © Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.