NAJAF, Iraq - US forces held Ammar al-Hakim, son of one of the country’s most powerful Shia leaders, for several hours on Friday as he was returning from Iran, sparking anger in the tense Iraqi Shia heartland.Najaf Governor Assaad Abu Gilel had warned when news of the detention began to spread: “If Ammar A lHakim is not released that will lead to dangerous consequences for Iraq.” Later members of his party said he had been freed. “He was released with his security guards, and I have talked to him. He told me he was unharmed,” said Nazar Al Malali, a member of the Najaf provincial council and a senior member of Hakim’s party.
Ammar al-Hakim is the son of Abdel Aziz Al Hakim, the leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution (SCIRI), a powerful Shia party that is one of Prime Minister Nuri al-MalikiÂ’s main coalition partners.
Members of the elder HakimÂ’s party told AFP that AmmarÂ’s convoy had been stopped near the Mehran border crossing with Iran, 130 kilometres (70 miles) east of Baghdad, on a road to the Shia city of Kut.
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