The judge presiding over Saddam Hussein's trial considered relocating the proceedings from the militarised Green Zone in Baghdad to a Kurdish-controlled area after a spate of shootings.

Judge Rizkar Amin, who has been praised for his unflappable performance in court, admitted that he had serious concerns over the court's security.

Since the trial opened five weeks ago, two lawyers representing Saddam's co-defendants have been murdered. Another two have fled the country. On Saturday, Iraqi police announced that they had uncovered an Al-Qaeda plot to assassinate the court’s most senior investigating judge.

Judge Amin told the German Focus magazine: ""I have thought about whether the court should not be moved to the Kurdish areas. A trial should take place under the most normal conditions possible, but the situation in Iraq these days is unfortunately anything but normal."

Today, proceedings were delayed for a week because Taha Yassin Ramadan, the former vice-president, rejected the replacement lawyer the court appointed for his slaughtered counsel.

Mortar explosions echoed around the capital as Saddam appeared in the dock. Police reported at least four missiles inside the heavily-guarded compound which houses the specially-built court - constructed in what was once the trophy room of Saddam's Clock Building.

There were reports of two men attached to a camera crew filming for the state-run al-Iraqiya television being shot dead today as they filmed reaction to the trial. Qassim Hussein, a police captain, said that at least one more member of the crew was seriously wounded.

Al-Iraqiya, a dry, state-run channel which covers proceedings in parliament, has courted controversy in recent days by running a story suggesting that Saddam had been attacked by court officials after cursing two Shia saints.

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