Top Iraq cleric survives assassination attempt
NAJAF, Iraq -- Iraq's most powerful Shi'ite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, survived an assassination attempt Thursday when gunmen opened fire on his entourage, a security official in his office said.
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"At 10 o'clock (2 a.m. EDT) this morning, gunmen opened fire on Ayatollah Sistani as he greeted people in Najaf, but he was not hurt," the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Sistani, revered by Iraq's Shi'ite community, which makes up about 60 percent of the population, is rarely seen in public and seldom leaves the holy city of Najaf, about 100 miles south of Baghdad.
In recent weeks, Sistani has spoken out against U.S. proposals for transferring power back to an Iraqi government by July 1, saying he wants direct elections to be held rather than a U.S. plan for a system of indirect regional caucuses.
Sistani's pronouncements carry enormous weight in Iraq and his opposition to the U.S. power transfer plans has thrown into question whether sovereignty will be returned by the deadline.
The attempt on the veteran cleric's life is likely to spur anger in Iraq's Shi'ite community, which was suppressed for more than two decades during Saddam Hussein's regime. Saddam is a Sunni Muslim.
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