A suicide bomber armed with an assault rifle opened fire on worshippers during Friday prayers at a mosque in northern Iraq and later blew himself up, killing 12 people, police and hospital officials said. The victims included the Sunni cleric who was leading the prayers at the mosque in Tal Afar.
According to an eyewitness, the cleric, Abdul-Satar Hassan, a member of Iraq's largest Sunni political party, had just started delivering his sermon when a tall man stood up. Seconds later, the man shouted "God is Great" and detonated explosives strapped to his body. The man triggered his explosive belt after running out of ammunition for the AK-47 rifle he was firing, said a police official. Sixty-five people were wounded in the attack, he said.
Also Friday, an aide to Iraq's prime minister said a Sunni lawmaker accused of being an insurgent ringleader has been arrested in Malaysia. Mohammed al-Dayni slipped through Iraqi custody several months ago, but was detained in Kuala Lumpur, Yassin Majeed said. Afew months ago, al-Dayni was charged with ordering a wave of attacks that included a 2007 suicide bombing in the parliament cafeteria and mortar strikes on Baghdad's Green Zone.
An Iraqi Foreign Ministry official said Friday a letter has been sent to the Malaysian government asking for al-Dayni's extradition to Iraq.
© 2009 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
