Officials say Azerbaijani boy hangs himself after watching Saddam's execution

Several boys in countries scattered around the world - including the United States, Yemen and Turkey - have reportedly hanged themselves after watching televised images of the execution.

Naig Hasanov, a schoolboy in the village of Khatinli, hanged himself on Sunday, district prosecutors in the predominantly Muslim nation in the Caucasus Mountain region.

The boy's father, Yashar Hasanov, said his son had begun asking numerous questions about hanging after seeing footage from Saddam's execution, ATV television reported.

Prosecutors in the former Soviet republic have opened an investigation into the boy's death, but said there were no signs he had been beaten or abused.

Azerbaijan, whose government and political system are secular, is one of the few Muslim nations that have contributed to the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. The Associated Press

/The International Herald Tribune/