BAGHDAD, Jan 2: The US military raided a mosque in Baghdad and claimed it had seized arms and explosives in an operation that sparked an angry protest after Friday prayers.

More than 1,000 worshippers at the Al Tabool mosque denounced Thursday's raid in an emotional demonstration. "American soldiers entered the mosque with their shoes on and with machineguns in their hands," the imam, Abdulsatar al Janabi, said, adding the raid had lasted five hours.

"They beat up some of the worshippers and stole computers and a donations box," he said. Protesters screamed and cried, chanting: "God is great" and "America is the enemy of God".

Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, a US military spokesman, said US troops had conducted the operation after a tipoff from Iraqis and netted a wide array of weaponry to be used against occupying forces facing a relentless resistance.

"Over recent months, the US First Armored Division has received numerous reports from Iraqis that the Al Tabool mosque was being used for criminal and terrorist activities," Brig Kimmitt told a news conference on Friday.

"US forces, led by the Iraqi Civil Defence Corps and the Iraqi police therefore conducted a cordon and search." There is clear evidence from what we seized that this mosque was being used for things other than free religious expression," Brig Kimmitt said.

He said 32 people had been detained, including several believed to be foreigners, and dismissed suggestions that US forces might have defiled the mosque.

"We are aware of the allegation that coalition forces tore pages from the holy Quran... But I can assure you that the greatest possible care was taken to respect the sanctity of the mosque," he said.-Reuters