A lawyer for ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's codefendants was killed and another injured when gunmen opened fire at their car in Baghdad yesterday, police said.

"Unknown gunmen opened fire at a car carrying the two defense lawyers in al-Adil district in western Baghdad, killing Adel Muhammed Abbas and wounding Thamir Hmoud Hadi," police officer Col.Ali Muhmoud told Xinhua.

Both Abbas and Hadi are on the team of lawyers defending Saddam Hussein's half brother Barzan Ibrahim and former vice president Taha Yassin Ramadan, he said.

On Oct. 20, Saadoun al-Janabi, lawyer for Saddam's codefendant Awad al-Bander, was abducted by 10 masked gunmen in his office in Baghdad's eastern Shaab district.

Al-Bander was head of the Revolutionary Court under Saddam'sreign.

The kidnapping came the day after the start of trial of Saddam and his seven codefendants for slaughter of 148 Shiite residentsin Dujail in 1982 after Saddam survived an assassination attempt.

A few hours later, Janabi was found shot dead in northern Baghdad's Ur district.

All defendants pleaded not guilty and the trial is due to resume on Nov. 28.