The Bush administration is preparing for the execution of Saddam Hussein as early as this weekend.

A senior administration official said that conclusion is based on information U.S. officials in Baghdad are receiving from the Iraqi government.

Meantime, the Pentagon said there is concern about the potential for violence that could accompany Saddam's execution.

Iraq's highest court said this week that the former president should be hanged within 30 days for the killing of 148 Shiites in 1982.