Defence lawyers acting for Saddam Hussein and his fellow defendants announced Wednesday they will stop work after a second member of the legal team was shot dead on Tuesday.

The Saddam's trial is due to reopen on November 28 but the defence team issued a statement saying they regarded that date as now "null and void".

They said the risk to them meant they could not visit their offices, interview witnesses or carry out any of the duties required for preparation of a case, and called for protection by an independent international organisation.

Khalil al-Dulaimi, the head of the team, accused the US led "occupation forces" of responsibility for the killing, according to the report of Reuters.

The panel had yet to decide how to respond to the problem.

"Now is the time to sit and talk and discuss this among ourselves so we can reach a decision in the coming days." Judge Rizgar Amin, who presides over a panel of five trial judges, was quoted as saying by Reuters.

The boycott call comes after gunmen killed Adel al-Zubeidi, the lawyer for former vice-president Taha Yassin Ramadan, and injured Thamir al-Khuazale, representing Saddam's half brother Barazan Ibrahim, in an ambush.

Last month, just days after the trial had begun, another defence attorney, Saadoun al-Janabi, was shot dead. Those involved with the case killed so far also include one of the judges and his son; the brother of the chief prosecutor, Jaafar al-Mousawi and three other court officials.