Iraqi cleric denies links with ambush suspect
A man arrested by United States forces as a "deputy" to controversial cleric Moqtada Sadr has nothing to do with the Iraqi Shiite leader, his spokesperson told AFP on Thursday.
"Who? Never heard of him."
A US general announced on Wednesday that a deputy of Moqtada Sadr had been held in Baghdad in connection with the killing of two US soldiers in October. "Coalition forces in Baghdad conducted a joint raid with the Iraqi Civil Defence Corps and detained Amar al-Yasseri, operations director of Moqtada Sadr in Sadr City, also believed to have been behind the ambush of coalition troops on October 9," Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt told a press conference.
Sounds like they have evidence, otherwise we wouldnât have busted him.
"We have no relation with this person mentioned by the US army," said the clericâs official spokesperson Sheikh Abbas al-Rubayah.
Yep. Looks like we've got something... | "He does not work in any of Moqtada Sadrâs offices and has no legal status in our organisation," he insisted. "Claims that Amar is one of Moqtada Sadrâs deputies are totally false. We do not have titles such as deputy. The objective of this is to send out confusing signals about Moqtada Sadr and his movement. We have nothing to do with the deaths of the coalition soldiers and we have never confronted the coalition forces militarily," the spokesperson said in the movementâs information bureau in Baghdadâs Karada district.
Translation: Heâs guilty as hell and theyâre cutting him loose.
Posted by: Steve 2003-12-04 |