US forces arrested a top Shiite official in Iraq’s government as he stepped off a plane in Baghdad, a political ally said on Thursday, and a US military intelligence official linked the man to a June bombing that killed four Americans and six Iraqis.
Ali al-Lami’s arrest raised fresh concerns about Iranian and Shiite militia influence in the top ranks of Iraq’s leadership.
Without naming al-Lami, the US military in Iraq said the suspect arrested on Wednesday evening is believed to be a senior leader of “special groups” — Iranian-backed militiamen in Iraq.
Al-Lami’s detention could also further discredit attempts by the Shiite-led government to keep top supporters of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein out of senior government jobs.
Al-Lami was in charge of that task, as head of a committee that screens former Baath party members.
He and his family were returning to Baghdad from Lebanon, where he underwent medical treatment, when he was arrested at the city’s international airport, said Qaiser Watout, a member of al-Lami’s committee.
US troops had been waiting for al-Lami as the plane’s doors opened, Watout said, adding that his family was allowed to proceed.
“We condemn this act,” Watout said. “Al-Lami was a moderate official and we are surprised by his arrest.”
The US military confirmed it arrested a senior Shiite figure on Wednesday, but would not release the name or say whether it was al-Lami.
The military said the man, who was known to travel to Iran and Lebanon, was detained after his plane landed at the airport.
The US military intelligence official in Iraq confirmed al-Lami’s arrest.
He said he had received several reports about al-Lami’s alleged involvement in a June 24 bombing.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to discuss intelligence information with reporters. He said al-Lami is believed to have information that could lead US officials to others.
The military said the detainee is believed to be behind the June attack that killed 10 people, including two US soldiers and two American civilians, in a district council building in Baghdad’s Shiite slum of Sadr City, the military said.
Iraqi officials have said it appeared to be an inside job and suspicion at the time fell on the headquarters’ Shiite Muslim guard force.
The Iraqi Defense Ministry also said it appeared the Iraqi council members and not the Americans were the main target of the blast, which came ahead of an election to choose a new chairman of the council.
The bombing hit as the US military and civilian officials were stepping up efforts to promote the local administration and restore services in Sadr City and other areas, amid a sharp drop in violence.
Meanwhile, a former US Marine sergeant accused of killing four unarmed Iraqi detainees was acquitted on Thursday of all criminal charges in the case, including voluntary manslaughter.
A federal court jury deliberated for six hours before finding Jose Luis Nazario, 28, not guilty of charges that he unlawfully killed or ordered his squad members to kill the four Iraqis on Nov. 9, 2004, in the insurgent Iraqi stronghold of Fallujah.
Nazario led a 13-member squad of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, First Marine Regiment in northern Fallujah in an attempt to retake the city from insurgent forces.
Two other Marines from the same squad face military courts-martial in the slayings.
The two others were considered key witnesses in the prosecution case but refused to testify, despite a grant of immunity, on grounds of constitutional protections against self-incrimination.
The judge, however, has cited them for contempt.
The nearly three-year-old case came to light when one of the Marines facing court-martial confessed to the killings during a lie detector test he was taking for a civilian job.
He was later called back into military service.
In addition to voluntary manslaughter, Nazario was acquitted of assault with a dangerous weapon and of using a firearm during a crime of violence.
Nazario’s trial in his hometown of Riverside, California, has been closely watched by domestic and international media because it marks the first time that a former US Marine has been prosecuted by a civilian court for wartime conduct.
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