Friday, June 29, 2007
Sunni politicians condemn arrest warrant for Culture Minister
Politics
(RFE/RL) - The Sunni-led Iraqi People's Conference issued a statement on June 27 condemning the arrest warrant issued against Iraqi Culture Minister As'ad Kamal al-Hashimi on terrorism charges, "Al-Sharq al-Awsat" reported the same day. "The [Iraqi] government is stupidly playing with fire in continuing a policy of lies meant to exclude Sunni officials and politicians," the statement said.
The Iraqi People's Conference "threatens to expose those high-ranking officials, ministers, members of parliament, and even Shi'ite religious figures who are involved with crimes of extermination against the Sunni people, such as killings, kidnappings, and forced relocations."
Muhannad al-Issawi, a spokesman for People's Conference head Adnan al-Dulaymi, who is also the leader of the Iraqi Accordance Front, the largest Sunni political bloc, told AP the same day that the arrest warrant is "a political matter, not a legal one" and warned that the issue "aims to marginalize the Sunnis." The arrest warrant, issued on June 26, alleges that al-Hashimi ordered the killing of Sunni lawmaker Mithal al-Alusi's two sons in Baghdad in 2005.
Labels: Adnan Dulaimi, arrest, As'ad Kamal al-Hashimi, Iraqi Accordance Front, Iraqi People's Conference, Muhannad al-Issawi
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Sunni lawmaker likely to lose immunity
Politics
(New York Times) - Iraq's top judicial authority has asked parliament to lift immunity for a prominent Sunni lawmaker, possibly clearing the way for his arrest on charges of provoking sectarian violence. An aide to the lawmaker, Adnan al-Dulaimi, and a Shiite employee of parliament said the request was received 10 to 14 days ago from the Supreme Judicial Council, the main administrative body for Iraq's courts. They said a vote on the issue in parliament had not been scheduled.
Labels: arrest, sectarian violence, Sunni lawmaker
Friday, March 30, 2007
Tal Afar police 're-arrested'
Security
(Reuters) - Iraqi authorities have re -arrested 18 policemen who had been detained but then freed over the reprisal killing of up to 70 Sunni Arab men in the northern town of Tal Afar this week, police said on Friday. The governor of Nineveh province, which includes Tal Afar, had said on Thursday that policemen who took part in the shootings were released to prevent unrest.
Shi'ite gunmen including police went on the killing spree hours after truck bomb attacks in Tal Afar killed 85 people in a Shi'ite area on Tuesday. Police in the nearby city of Mosul said the 18 policemen had been re-arrested. It was unclear where they were being held.
Nineveh provincial governor Durad Kashmula had said the culprits would be brought to justice in due course.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shi'ite, has ordered an inquiry into the involvement of police in the killings. Tal Afar was held up by U.S. President George W. Bush only a year ago as an example of progress towards peace in Iraq. Militia infiltration of security forces has long been a problem in restoring stability to Iraq, with many Sunni Arabs complaining they are unfairly targeted by police and army.
Shi'ite gunmen including police went on the killing spree hours after truck bomb attacks in Tal Afar killed 85 people in a Shi'ite area on Tuesday. Police in the nearby city of Mosul said the 18 policemen had been re-arrested. It was unclear where they were being held.
Nineveh provincial governor Durad Kashmula had said the culprits would be brought to justice in due course.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shi'ite, has ordered an inquiry into the involvement of police in the killings. Tal Afar was held up by U.S. President George W. Bush only a year ago as an example of progress towards peace in Iraq. Militia infiltration of security forces has long been a problem in restoring stability to Iraq, with many Sunni Arabs complaining they are unfairly targeted by police and army.
Labels: arrest, Durad Kashmula, Nouri Al-Maliki, police, Tal Afar
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Islamic State denies capture of leader
Insurgency
(SITE) Media reports on Sunday, March 4, cited Iraqi Interior Ministry officials as claiming the arrest of Muharib Mohammed Abdullah, believed to be Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, in a joint raid by Iraqi and U.S. soldiers in Duluiyah, in Salah al-Din governorate. The following day, conflicting reports indicated the arrest of between two and four accomplices of Baghdadi, as well as doubt regarding Baghdadi’s capture.
The Islamic State of Iraq issued a statement to jihadist forums on Tuesday, March 6, 2007, denying recent claims by the Iraqi Ministry of Interior that the Emir of the Believers, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, and those close to him were arrested by Iraqi security forces. This allegation, the group insists, is the latest in invented stories by the “infidel Maliki government”. The Islamic State assures that all leading officials and responsible people of the group are with their families, and if something did in fact happen to a leader, an official announcement would have been made. They remind that jihad is based on “doctrine and belief” and not on specific men, meaning that it will not cease even if a leader is killed or arrested.
Labels: Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, arrest, Duluiyah, Islamic State of Iraq, Ministry of Interior
Monday, March 05, 2007
Top officials with links to armed groups to be arrested
Politics, Security
(AP) Iraq's prime minister says U.S. and Iraqi authorities are working together to arrest and prosecute Iraqi politicians and top officials suspected of links to armed extremist groups. "There is coordination between us and the (U.S.-led) Multinational Forces (that) started at the beginning of this year ... to determine who should be arrested and the reasons behind arresting them," Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told The Associated Press in an interview Saturday.
His comments were in response to a question about whether lists had been prepared of senior Iraqi officials, politicians and lawmakers targeted for arrest. Al-Maliki said Iraqi authorities would begin preparing cases against unspecified officials and would refer them to investigative judges, who under the Iraqi legal system can issue indictments like American grand juries.
The prime minister gave no further details, such as how many people were targets of investigations or any specific names. He also did not specify when cases would be forward to investigative judges. U.S. officials would not comment on the purported lists or even confirm if they exist, citing a policy not to discuss intelligence operations.
His comments were in response to a question about whether lists had been prepared of senior Iraqi officials, politicians and lawmakers targeted for arrest. Al-Maliki said Iraqi authorities would begin preparing cases against unspecified officials and would refer them to investigative judges, who under the Iraqi legal system can issue indictments like American grand juries.
The prime minister gave no further details, such as how many people were targets of investigations or any specific names. He also did not specify when cases would be forward to investigative judges. U.S. officials would not comment on the purported lists or even confirm if they exist, citing a policy not to discuss intelligence operations.
Deputy Health Minister Hakim al-Zamili was arrested Feb. 9 by U.S. and Iraqi soldiers for allegedly diverting millions of dollars from his ministry to the Shiite militia, the Mahdi Army. Iraqi officials give various estimates about the number of people on the list, ranging from 50 to more than 100. The discrepancy could not be explained, but it could be due to changes in the list based on intelligence operations or linked to an effort by Iraqi leaders to pare the list down for political reasons.
Labels: armed extremist groups, arrest, politicians
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Al-Maliki denies knowledge of arrest warrant for al-Sadr
Security, Politics
(Al Iraq news) Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki denied the existence of a judicial order out for arrest of Muqtada al-Sadr in the Baghdad security plan, that began yesterday. He referred to reports that Sadr has gone to Iran "illogical". Maliki said "There is no order for the arrest of Sayid Muqtada al-Sadr at the present time in relation with the Baghdad security plan". In a press conference in front of the Karbala Province administrative building, Maliki also referred to reports that Sadr has gone to Iran "illogical," saying the story was "unrealistic" and "couldn’t be accepted."
Some media claimed that an arrest order was out for al-Sadr in connection with the 2003 Najaf killing of Shi`a cleric Abd al-Majid al-Khoei in the weeks following the US occupation of the country. Maliki denies these assertions as well, saying, "I have not heard of anything like this order, and if there is anything related to an arrest order for Sayyed Muqtada from other authorities . . . we have not heard of it."Iraqi lawmakers and officials loyal to al-Sadr categorically denied that he had left the country but refused to say where he was.
Labels: al-Maliki, arrest, Moqtada Al-Sadr, politics, security
