Group: Iraq Cleric Assassination Untrue

[DuctapeFatwa]

Reports of an assassination attempt Thursday against Iraq's most powerful Shiite Muslim clergyman are untrue, a Shiite group close to the top cleric said.

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani was described by associates as being in good health. Bodyguards and political allies told The Associated Press there was no attempt on his life, dismissing Arab media reports.

"We have contacted the office of his eminence, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani, in Najaf and it transpired that the report is a lie and the whole issue is fabricated and baseless," the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq said.



http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040205_1425.html

[Barrett808]

1. Now that's an interesting development...

Who do you believe: CNN or AP?

[Bragi]

4. In this case..

...it could be the first report was wrong, or the second, or both, but I think I'd go, for now, with al Jezeera, which is reporting:

"(Sistani) spokesman and Governing Council member, Muwaffaq al-Rubai, confirmed Wednesday's assassination attempt but said little else other than that al-Sistani is "safe and sound".

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/86848575-ED24-4711-AF8A-F6425235633B.htm


-b

[pinto]

2. wtf?......n/t

[daleo]

3. Al-Jazeera also reported an assassination attempt

"The Arabic TV station Al-Jazeera had reported that unidentified gunmen fired on the ayatollah Thursday morning."

Based on what I have seen over the last year or so, I would go with them. Still, nothing like being kept guessing.

[Barrett808]

5. AFP confirms: Iraq Shiite leader targeted by assassins

Iraq Shiite leader targeted by assassins, Bush says war an "act of justice"
15 minutes ago

BAGHDAD (AFP) - The revered spiritual leader of Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, escaped an assassination bid, his office said, on the eve of a visit by a UN team assessing his demand for direct elections.

Initial reports of the assassination attempt were sketchy, but a source close to Sistani told AFP that a man tried to break into his office to carry out "a criminal act targeting" the ayatollah, but was caught by bodyguards.

The report, which could not be immediately confirmed, contradicted earlier television reports that a group of gunmen sprayed Sistani's car with bullets as the cleric was leaving his office for his home in the pilgrimage city of Najaf, 160 kilometres (100 miles) south of Baghdad.

Sistani's office a short time later confirmed an attack had taken place but offered no further details.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040205/ts_afp/iraq_worldwrap&cid=1503&ncid=1480

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

6. If it *is* true,

If the report of the assasination attempt *is* true, then the denial is probably an attempt by the shiites or the US to put a lid on things to prevent further violence, which is understandable under the circumstances.

[plurality]

7. attempted CIA hit gone wrong, now lie and say it never happened

to contain embarassment, wonder if the guy the bodyguards caught is still alive. I'd like to hear who sent him.

[jab105]

8. CIA wouldnt do this...

with 120,000 of our troops over there, they couldn't...Sistani assasination would automatically result in civil war...

[plurality]

9. that's exactly what the CIA would want

If we were forced to deny Sistani the real elections the Shi'ites demanded then we'd have a full on united popular revolt on our hands, since all Iraqis would then know our claims to liberate are absolute bullshit.

But if they assassinate Sistani and let the Shi'ites think it was the Sunnis who did it, then you have Shi'ite/Sunni/Kurdish infighting going on, and while they're busy killing each Halliburton/Bechtel/Exxon/etc can quietly loot the country while noone's looking, exactly as planned.

[alfredo]

10. Divide and conquer is what you are talking about. The US

could then grab the oil/land they want, and solidify their positions there while the Shia, Kurds, and Sunni are distracted. Let's see what happens. Civil war will happen. Our troops will either be caught up in it, or withdrawn to a safer location. the land grab would be the safer plan in the short term.

[Zhade]

11. Kick

:dem:

[Aidoneus]

12. No attempt on Sistani's life

oh, didn't realize DTF already posted on this.. repasting from my dupe thread--

Aides deny attempt on al-Sistani's life
Friday 06 February 2004, 14:32 Makka Time, 11:32 GMT

Aides of Grand Ayat Allah Ali al-Sistani on Friday denied reports that the Iraqi Shia spiritual leader had survived an assassination bid.

According to one of al-Sistani's communications officers, security guards arrested a man on Thursday as he tried to break into the Ayat Allah's office in Najaf, 160km south of Baghdad, to carry out an unspecified "criminal act".

Sheikh Abd al-Mahdi al-Karbalai, one of the Ayat Allah's representatives, said on Friday in an interview with Lebanon's al-Manar television that "arresting someone does not mean that there was an assassination attempt".

Al-Manar TV, owned by the Lebanese Shia party Hizb Allah, also quoted al- Sistani's son, Muhammad Rida, as saying reports of an assassination bid were "inaccurate".

--snip--

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3DC0D8F0-06DD-44DD-B2A5-AECE548A5430.htm

----------------------------------------

2004/02/06
No attempt on Sistani's life
10:08:23

Najaf, Feb 6 - The office of the revered spiritual leader of Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority, grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, rejected reports on an assassination attempt on his life Thursday.

Saba television, affiliated with US command, had reported that gunmen sprayed Sistani's car with bullets as he left his office for home, which prompted a large number of people to gather around the house of the grand ayatollah to get informed of his health condition.

--snip--

http://www.iribnews.com/Full_en.asp?news_id=197902&n=31

----------------------------------------

[Barrett808]

13. Others still report it as true: Arab News, Guardian

Try this Google news cache query:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&edition=us&q=sistani+assassination&btnG=Search+News

---

Cleric 'survives assassination bid'
Rory McCarthy in Baghdad and Michael Howard in Irbil, Iraqi Kurdistan
Friday February 6, 2004
The Guardian

Iraq's most respected Shia cleric was reported to have survived an assassination attempt near his office yesterday.
But there was confusion about the incident. Some aides said that yesterday morning four men, armed with rifles, had fired shots apparently aimed at the cleric who escaped unhurt. Others said there had been no shooting.

Ayatollah Sistani, 73, has been at the forefront of demands for direct elections in Iraq and commands broad support among Iraq's Shia majority.

"Gunmen opened fire on Ayatollah Sistani as he greeted people in Najaf, but he was not hurt," an official from the cleric's office told Reuters. The cleric was attacked when he stopped to greet people while travelling home by car from his office, the agency said.

Mouwaffak al-Rubaie, a member of Iraq's governing council known to be close to Ayatollah Sistani, met the cleric for two hours yesterday afternoon.

Last night he told CNN he believed there had been an assassination attempt, but later he refused to give details.

(more)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1142291,00.html

---

Ali Al-Sistani Escapes Assassination
Naseer Al-Nahr, Arab News Staff

BAGHDAD, 6 February 2004 — Violence continued unabated in Iraq yesterday on the eve of a visit by a UN team to negotiate an election date. Top Iraqi Shiite leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, escaped an assassination attempt and a US soldier was killed in an attack on a convoy.

“Sayyed Sistani escaped an assassination attempt,” an aide said in the southern city of Najaf without elaborating. “I just met Sayyed Sistani, he is safe and sound,” said a Shiite member of the Iraq’s US-appointed interim leadership, Muaffak Al-Rubei, after a meeting with the cleric.

“At 10 o’clock this morning, gunmen opened fire on Ayatollah Sistani as he greeted people in Najaf, but he was not hurt,” he said.

“He is surrounded by his relatives who are taking care of him. What I call for now is for there to be no backlash after this assassination attempt. Instead there should be a national response encompassing all of Iraq. These violent acts against any of our leaders should be condemned,” Rubei added.

(more)

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=39101&d=6&m=2&y=2004

[Aidoneus]

14. yes, there are also those

These rumours were apparently started by a television station with ties to the US occupation, or a member of the puppet council.

On the other hand, Sheikh Karbala'i is one of Sistani's top representatives--on Hizbullah's TV station he refuted the rumours going around. Sistani's son confirms this. Unless they're covering something up (doubtful), they're more credible than rumours reprinted from wire reports--"horse's mouth" and all..