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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Chalabi sez Baathists behind raid |
| 2004-05-21 |
| Iraqi Governing Council member Ahmed Chalabi said the raid on his compound Thursday was engineered by Baathists who control the Iraqi police and who are now protected by the Coalition Provisional Authority. Senior coalition law enforcement and justice officials said the raid on the compound of the Iraqi National Congress was part of an investigation of "suspected fraud in a government ministry." But Chalabi -- who is head of finance in the Iraqi Governing Council and leader of the INC -- was not named in the warrant. Iraqi police and U.S. military personnel who conducted the raid took away computers and documents but arrested no one, Chalabi told reporters at a Baghdad news conference. Senor said questions about the raid should be addressed to the Iraqi police. "It was an Iraqi-led investigation, an Iraqi-led raid. It was the result of Iraqi arrest warrants," he said. Chalabi said an emergency meeting of the Iraqi Governing Council has been called for Friday afternoon to respond to the raid. When asked what could be expected, he said, "Wait and see." The coalition officials said three locations were searched under the warrant issued by an Iraqi judge. "Several people" named in the warrant were arrested, but some were not found, they said. The investigation involved "fraud, kidnapping and associated matters," they said. Chalabi's nephew, Salim Chalabi, who serves as Iraq's war crimes prosecutor, said U.S. military personnel and Iraqi police entered his uncle's home with their weapons drawn, threatened Chalabi's security personnel, put a gun to Chalabi's head and threatened him. Iraqi National Congress spokesman Entifadh Qanbar, speaking to CNN from Washington, said the compound was raided "in a very savage way.... Doors were smashed despite the offer to unlock it. Computers were smashed. Even pictures on the wall were smashed. Even his holy Koran, his personal holy Koran was taken as a document." Chalabi was the champion of a plan to rid Iraq of Baath Party influence that has caused rancor among many Iraqis. He said Thursday's raid was led by Baathists who have been given power by the CPA. Chalabi said the Iraqi police have been "completely subverted" by Baathists. He said his dissatisfaction is not with President Bush, but with Coalition Provisional Authority chief Paul Bremer. "My message to CPA is let my people go," Chalabi said. "Let my people be free. We are grateful to President Bush for liberating Iraq but it is time for Iraqi people to run their affairs." The Pentagon made a final monthly payment of $340,000 to Chalabi's INC party in May, a senior Pentagon official said. The payments, made under under the Iraqi Liberation Act, were aimed at getting information and providing training for INC members. But they are ending because, as of June 30, the law supporting opposition groups becomes moot when Iraq resumes sovereignty over its own affairs, the official said. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #2 Chalabi has never been hostile to Zionism. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-05-21 10:02:17 AM |
| #1 Oh, okay, it's a Baathist conspiracy. At least on the surface. But we all know that deep within there is the influence of Zionism. And those sharp Arabs are gonna find it, just you see. And why would they take his Qu'ran? Maybe he'd highlighted the passages about killing infidels or something . . . |
| Posted by: The Doctor 2004-05-21 9:27:51 AM |