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.
CONFRONTATION: The water cannon attack was the second this month on the Philippine supply boat ‘Unaizah May 4,’ after an incident on March 5 The China Coast Guard yesterday morning blocked a Philippine supply vessel and damaged it with water cannons near a reef off the Southeast Asian country, the Philippines said. The Philippine military released video of what it said was a nearly hour-long attack off the Second Thomas Shoal (Renai Shoal, 仁愛暗沙) in the contested South China Sea, where Chinese ships have unleashed water cannons and collided with Philippine vessels in similar standoffs in the past few months. The China Coast Guard and other vessels “once again harassed, blocked, deployed water cannons, and executed dangerous maneuvers” against a routine rotation and resupply mission to
GLOBAL COMBAT AIR PROGRAM: The potential purchasers would be limited to the 15 nations with which Tokyo has signed defense partnership and equipment transfer deals Japan’s Cabinet yesterday approved a plan to sell future next-generation fighter jets that it is developing with the UK and Italy to other nations, in the latest move away from the country’s post-World War II pacifist principles. The contentious decision to allow international arms sales is expected to help secure Japan’s role in the joint fighter jet project, and is part of a move to build up the Japanese arms industry and bolster its role in global security. The Cabinet also endorsed a revision to Japan’s arms equipment and technology transfer guidelines to allow coproduced lethal weapons to be sold to nations
‘POLITICAL EARTHQUAKE’: Leo Varadkar said he was ‘no longer the best person’ to lead the nation and was stepping down for political, as well as personal, reasons Leo Varadkar on Wednesday announced that he was stepping down as Ireland’s prime minister and leader of the Fine Gael party in the governing coalition, citing “personal and political” reasons. Pundits called the surprise move, just 10 weeks before Ireland holds European Parliament and local elections, a “political earthquake.” A general election has to be held within a year. Irish Deputy Prime Minister Micheal Martin, leader of Fianna Fail, the main coalition partner, said Varadkar’s announcement was “unexpected,” but added that he expected the government to run its full term. An emotional Varadkar, who is in his second stint as prime minister and at
Thousands of devotees, some in a state of trance, gathered at a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Bangkok renowned for sacred tattoos known as Sak Yant, paying their respects to a revered monk who mastered the practice and seeking purification. The gathering at Wat Bang Phra Buddhist temple is part of a Thai Wai Khru ritual in which devotees pay homage to Luang Phor Pern, the temple’s formal abbot, who died in 2002. He had a reputation for refining and popularizing the temple’s Sak Yant tattoo style. The idea that tattoos confer magical powers has existed in many parts of Asia