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February 22, 2009

Iraq Seeks Arrest of Lawmaker in Parliament Bombing
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Iraqi spokesman says government is seeking to prosecute lawmaker
Mohammed al-Dayni, based on the confessions of two former bodyguards 
Iraqi authorities have asked parliament to lift the immunity of a Sunni
lawmaker accused of masterminding a suicide bombing inside the
parliament two years ago. An Iraqi soldier keeps an eye on the
bodyguards of Mohammed al-Dayni, a Sunni lawmaker, during a raid on his
home in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, 22 Feb. 2009An Iraqi military spokesman,
Major General Qassim Atta, says the government is seeking to prosecute
lawmaker Mohammed al-Dayni, based on the confessions of two former
bodyguards. The bodyguards claim the politician sanctioned several
attacks, including the 2007 bombing that killed a Sunni Arab deputy
Mohammad Awad of the National Dialogue Party inside the parliamentary
cafeteria. The military played tapes of the bodyguards' interrogations
during a news conference Sunday. One of men interrogated was Dayni's
nephew. The Iraqi military spokesman says authorities are seeking
Dayni's arrest and have taken measures to prevent him from leaving the
country. In a telephone interview with The Associated Press news agency,
the lawmaker rejected the charges as "untrue and baseless." He suggested
the allegations were politically motivated. His location is unknown. The
Islamic State of Iraq, an insurgent group linked to al-Qaida, had
claimed responsibility for the parliamentary bombing. In a separate
development, U.S. and Iraqi military officials have announced a new
offensive to crack down on al-Qaida and Sunni militants in northern
Iraq. An Iraqi military official says authorities have arrested 84
people in Nineveh province since Friday. The U.S. military says the
operation aims to allow the government to restore essential services to
the provincial capital, Mosul.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.


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