Detained Guard Suspected of Iraq Attacks

"Iraq"

09/30/2006

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The detained guard of a prominent Sunni politician is suspected of belonging to al-Qaida in Iraq and planning a major suicide car bomb attack inside Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, the U.S. military said Saturday.

Khudhir Farhan was taken into custody Friday at the home of Adnan al-Dulaimi, the head of the largest Sunni bloc in parliament, al-Dulaimi told The Associated Press.

“The detained individual is suspected of involvement in the planning of a multi-vehicle suicide operation inside Baghdad’s International Zone,” the U.S. military said in a statement.

“Credible intelligence indicates the individual, a member of Dr. Dulaimi’s personal security detachment, and seven members of the detained individual’s cell were in the final stages of launching a series of (car bomb) attacks inside the International Zone, possibly involving suicide vests.”

The man is suspected of having links to a car bomb network operating in the southern area of Baghdad, the military said.

“He is believed to be a member of the al-Qaida in Iraq group,” the military said.

Immediately after the arrest Friday afternoon al-Dulaimi denied the guard had any terrorist links. When contacted by the AP on Saturday he said: “That individual joined my residence as a guard no more than a month ago, therefore I haven’t got complete data about his background.”

“Anyhow, they are only suspicions about his involvement, which have not been proved,” al-Dulaimi said.

Friday night, following the raid on al-Dulaimi’s house, the Iraqi government ordered a complete lockdown of Baghdad to pedestrian and vehicular traffic through Sunday morning without saying why.

Speaking on Al-Arabiya TV on Saturday morning, Interior Ministry official Hussein Ali Kemal said the move was to “prevent the security situation from deteriorating”

“That was done due to intelligence information that indicates the intentions of the terrorists to commit terrorist acts against civilians, therefore it is a measure for maintaining the safety and security of the people,” he said.

He added that the information indicated the threat on an attack “against places of worship and shopping centers during Ramadan,” the Muslim holy month.