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| Iraq |
| 5 Iraqi guards face trial in Baghdad bank robbery |
| 2009-08-15 |
| [Gulf News] Five members of Iraq's presidential guard will go on trial later this month for their alleged roles in a deadly Baghdad bank robbery, an act that illustrated the increase in crime in Iraq, a court spokesman said on Thursday. The Interior Ministry has said the heist was a rogue act committed by men belonging to the security detail charged with protecting Iraqi officials, and denied speculation they were part of a larger conspiracy to use the money to fund insurgent groups. The pre-dawn robbery at the state-run Rafidain Bank in central Baghdad on July 28 left eight security guards dead as the attackers made off with about 8 billion Iraqi Dinars ($6.9 million). Warrants have been issued for three other members of the security detail, who also have been implicated in the heist and remain at large, said Abdul-Sattar Bayrkdar, a spokesman for Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council. He said the trial for the five men is set to begin Aug. 23. The robbery raised questions about the infiltration of criminals and militants among Iraq's security forces as they assume responsibility from withdrawing U.S. forces. The five men were part of a presidential brigade that provides security for Iraqi officials. Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi, the senior member of Iraq's most influential Shiite party, said one of the guards charged in the robbery worked as part of his detail. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Just moonlighting. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2009-08-15 12:59 |