September 1, 2003	Monday	Rajab 3, 1424

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BAGHDAD, Aug 31: Anger and grief poured out onto the streets of Najaf on Saturday as Iraqis from around the country arrived to mourn the 129 people killed in Friday’s bombing, including a top Shia leader Ayatollah Baqer al Hakim.

Crowds in Najaf chanted slogans against both former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and the US-led military forces that ousted his regime, blaming the United States for inadequate security. Some in the crowd shouted that the US should not be in Iraq.

Friday’s incident was the third massive bombing in Iraq in August and one of the worst terrorist attacks in the Middle East in the last two decades.

Iraqi police sources have reported that early results from the investigation into the Najaf bombing found similarities to the August 19 bombing of the United Nations compound in Baghdad.

Qatar-based satellite channel Al Jazeera reported that Iraqi police had arrested at least 19 men from several countries in connection with the bombing.

A correspondent in Najaf quoted a senior Iraqi police officer as saying 19 Arabs were being interrogated.

Earlier reports said four men among the suspects - two Saudis and two Iraqis - were allegedly linked to the Al Qaeda network. Authorities were said to be searching for another three suspects.

There were other reports of two Pakistanis with links to Al Qaeda among those in custody.

Funeral prayers for al Hakim would now be held on Monday, sources told dpa. He was a bitter opponent of the former Baghdad regime, spending two decades in exile and organizing resistance to Saddam.

Al Hakim’s remains were due to be transferred to the Khadimiya mosque in Baghdad for prayers before being taken to Karbala. Mourners were then expected to proceed to Najaf for al Hakim’s burial on Monday.

Prayers for the other victims were held on Saturday, with more than half a million people attending the ceremonies in Najaf.

Earlier, Al Jazeera reported that a second vehicle laden with explosives had been found

near where the attack took place in Najaf. US forces were summoned to defuse the explosives. US troops stepped up security in the area, though Shia leaders refused to allow them access to the blast site for religious reasons.

The attack has been condemned by Iraqis from all religious groups, including Sunni Muslims and al Hakim’s main Shia rivals, led by Muqtada al-Sadr. His group staged a demonstration in Baghdad to denounce the explosion, one of many protests across the country.

The Iraqi Governing Council in Baghdad has called for three days of official mourning, which will also be held in neighbouring Iran, where al Hakim spent 23 years in exile before his return to Iraq in May.

Iraqi National Congress leader and council member Ahmed Chalabi called the bombing an attack on all Iraqis and blamed followers of the deposed regime for the blast.

“Iraqis have lost one of the most noble fighters against fascism and dictatorship over the past decades,” said Iraq’s al-Sabeh newspaper, published by the Iraqi Media Network. “We lost Ayatollah Mohammad Baqer al Hakim at a very awkward time.” Others blamed the US and Israel.

“Muslims would not do this,” said a follower of the slain Shia leader, pointing to the destruction at the scene of the attack.

Al Jazeera showed al Hakim followers vowing to avenge his death.

Al Hakim’s nephew Ammar told Al Jazeera that the “erroneous policies pursued by the occupation troops” were a key reason for the lack of security in the country.

“The occupation troops have marginalized the role of effective popular and political Iraqi groups in maintaining their own country’s security and stability,” he said.

FIVR ARRESTED: Up to five suspects, all of them Iraqi, have been detained over the car bomb attack in Najaf, the local governor said on Sunday.

“There are several suspects, none of whom has citizenship other than Iraqi,” Haidar al-Mayyali, the governor of the Najaf area, told a news conference about Friday’s attack.

“The number of those now arrested is not greater than the number of fingers on one hand,” he said.

Mayyali said the attackers had links to the power structure of ousted president Saddam Husein.

“This terrorist organization was in complete cooperation with elements of the intelligence apparatus of the previous regime,” the governor said.

Asked about reports the group had links to Al Qaeda, Mayyali replied: “There is no exact information on this matter.”

He said two booby-trapped cars had exploded in the attack and around 700kg of explosives had been used.

Mayyali would not reveal which part of Iraq the suspects were from and would not comment on their religious affiliation. —dpa/Reuters