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CNN Live Today
Iraqi Shiite Leader Assassinated in Najaf
Aired April 10, 2003 - 10:43 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're getting word that a key and prominent Shiite Muslim leader has been murdered, assassinated in the holy Muslim town of Najaf. Jim Lacey of "Time" magazine is in Najaf right now. He's going to join us on the phone and tell us exactly what he knows about what is going on and about this key leader.
Jim, what can you tell us?
JIM LACEY, "TIME" MAGAZINE: This cleric was in exile for 35 or maybe even 40 years in London. he is son of the former grand ayatollah. He came here. He did some pro-Western speeches to reestablish himself in the Shiite community once again, and he was about to give a talk to 35 Arab journalists, who were being flown in this morning. The journalists were about a half a mile from the location, the mosque, the tomb of Ali (ph) where he is staying in that area, where they were stopped and turned around, and the reports started coming in that there had been an assassination attempt.
After that, there were secondary was saying that the cleric had been wounded, but taken by people who attacked him and publicly executed later. There is some speculation they may still be holding him, and they're not executing him. So it's a very fluid and chaotic situation. Most people here are saying he's dead. The Army is still trying to find out. He was not being protected by the army. They're not allowed in the mosque area. He had his own protective force, his own security. It's a blow to American interests, because he was about to come on and tell the Arab journalists that the support to the Americans, that it's a good thing the Americans were here. But at the moment, they don't think it was directed at American interests. They think it was (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
KAGAN: It appears we've lost -- it appears we're having a little bit of trouble with that phone call. Are you still there?
All right. That's Jim Lacey from "Time" magazine telling us the latest about what he knows about is happening in Najaf, the holy Muslim city inside of Iraq. Abdul Majeed Al-Khoei, a Muslim cleric, a prominent leader of the Shiite community in Najaf. We're getting word here at CNN that has been assassinated. We're hearing that that situation a little bit more fluid. We'll try to get some more information out of Najaf.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired April 10, 2003 - 10:43 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're getting word that a key and prominent Shiite Muslim leader has been murdered, assassinated in the holy Muslim town of Najaf. Jim Lacey of "Time" magazine is in Najaf right now. He's going to join us on the phone and tell us exactly what he knows about what is going on and about this key leader.
Jim, what can you tell us?
JIM LACEY, "TIME" MAGAZINE: This cleric was in exile for 35 or maybe even 40 years in London. he is son of the former grand ayatollah. He came here. He did some pro-Western speeches to reestablish himself in the Shiite community once again, and he was about to give a talk to 35 Arab journalists, who were being flown in this morning. The journalists were about a half a mile from the location, the mosque, the tomb of Ali (ph) where he is staying in that area, where they were stopped and turned around, and the reports started coming in that there had been an assassination attempt.
After that, there were secondary was saying that the cleric had been wounded, but taken by people who attacked him and publicly executed later. There is some speculation they may still be holding him, and they're not executing him. So it's a very fluid and chaotic situation. Most people here are saying he's dead. The Army is still trying to find out. He was not being protected by the army. They're not allowed in the mosque area. He had his own protective force, his own security. It's a blow to American interests, because he was about to come on and tell the Arab journalists that the support to the Americans, that it's a good thing the Americans were here. But at the moment, they don't think it was directed at American interests. They think it was (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
KAGAN: It appears we've lost -- it appears we're having a little bit of trouble with that phone call. Are you still there?
All right. That's Jim Lacey from "Time" magazine telling us the latest about what he knows about is happening in Najaf, the holy Muslim city inside of Iraq. Abdul Majeed Al-Khoei, a Muslim cleric, a prominent leader of the Shiite community in Najaf. We're getting word here at CNN that has been assassinated. We're hearing that that situation a little bit more fluid. We'll try to get some more information out of Najaf.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
