Saddam’s swordDHS returns Saddam Hussein’s sword to Iraq

A ceremonial sword taken from the office of deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was returned to Iraq Monday, according to U.S. offocials.

The Washington Post reports that the sword was given to Iraqi ambassador Lukman Faily at a private ceremony at his house in Washington, D.C..

Faily called the ceremony “one of these historic days that documents the deep relationship, cooperation and friendship” between the United States and Iraq, adding that it showed the commitment of the United Statesto rebuild Iraq and preserve its cultural history.

The sword was discovered at an auction in Manchester, New Hampshire and was sold for $15,000 last year. In the auction catalog the sword was described as “having been removed from Hussein’s personal office in the Iraqi military command complex in Baghdad,” according to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.

According to the auction company, the sword was given to them by an American combat historian. The sword itself is 43-inches in length and has an embellished blade and sheath with a gold inlaid inscription in Arabic declaring it to be a gift to Hussein.

When ICE discovered the sword was up for auction, the agency began an investigation. DHS agents seized the sword on 9 January 2012 as a cultural artifact. The sword had already been sold, but the money had not changed hands yet.

ICE said it had been determined that “this ornate ceremonial sword cannot be considered a modern battlefield weapon and is therefore not eligible to be exported as a war trophy.”

In addition, ICE determined that bringing “this historic sword” into the United States was banned by federal regulations prohibiting trade or transfer of Iraqi cultural property.

James Dinkins, the associate director of DHS investigative arm, said the sword “represents part of a country’s history that should never have been” taken or auctioned.

It is not clear what Iraq plans to do with the sword.