Baghdad, Iraq ? Saddam Hussein said in a defiant courtroom confession Wednesday that he ordered the trial of 148 Shiites who were later executed, and arranged for the flattening of their palm groves and farms. But he insisted he had the right to do so because they were suspected of trying to kill him.

“Where is the crime? Where is the crime?” Saddam asked. “If trying a suspect accused of shooting at a head of state – no matter what his name is – is considered a crime, then you have the head of state in your hands. Try him.”

The dramatic speech came a day after prosecutors presented the most direct evidence against him in the four-month trial: a 1984 presidential decree approving the death sentences for the 148, with a signature said to be Saddam’s.

Saddam did not admit or deny approving their executions, but stated outright that he was solely responsible for their prosecution, adding that his seven co-defendants should be released.

The deaths of the Shiites are one of the main charges against the defendants, who could face execution by hanging if convicted.

The five judges will be able to take Saddam’s confession into account when they rule in the case. It will be up to them to decide whether Saddam’s actions were illegal. After Wednesday’s session, the trial was adjourned until March 12.