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Iraqi Shiite Clerk Survives Assassination Attempt
Aired February 05, 2004 - 14:05 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: From Iraq this hour, we learn the powerful leader of the Iraqi Shiite Muslims almost killed today when gunman opened fire on his entourage. Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, a man you may have heard in connection with the controversy over possible Iraqi elections, is said to be unhurt and in his home city of Najaf. We get details on all of this from CNN's Brent Sadler, who's been watching things from Baghdad for us.
Hello, Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles.
This assassination attempt happened earlier today. The details are still pretty thin. But what we do understand from an associate close to Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani is that a group of gunmen armed with AK-47 assault rifles -- that's a weapon, obviously, you see a lot throughout Iraq -- and came up to the grand Ayatollah as he was leaving his office in the city of Najaf, which is about 100 miles south of the Iraqi capital. They opened fire, there was a confusion. Some of the entourage, the security detail around Sistani, were injured. We do not have specific details of what those injuries are.
But Sistani was able to be taken away unhurt, we understand, and has now been moved to a place of safety, according to those within his upper circle.
Now, this, indeed, was a very, very serious incident, because Sistani, as you just said, Miles, represents a very powerful sector of Iraqi society. He is a top Muslim Shiite, a grand ayatollah. Sixty percent of Iraqis are made up of Muslim Shiites. And is it Sistani who has been pushing the United States to move forward for a transitional government at the end of June with direct elections. That in itself meaning that a United Nations fact-finding team will be coming into Iraq in the coming weeks to check on whether or not that is feasible.
But certainly a serious attempt on the life of this top Shiite religious cleric, but he does seem to have escaped this attack unhurt -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Brent Sadler in Baghdad, thanks very much. We'll check in with him as details come in all of this.
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 February 5, 2004 - 14:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: From Iraq this hour, we learn the powerful leader of the Iraqi Shiite Muslims almost killed today when gunman opened fire on his entourage. Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, a man you may have heard in connection with the controversy over possible Iraqi elections, is said to be unhurt and in his home city of Najaf. We get details on all of this from CNN's Brent Sadler, who's been watching things from Baghdad for us.
Hello, Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles.
This assassination attempt happened earlier today. The details are still pretty thin. But what we do understand from an associate close to Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani is that a group of gunmen armed with AK-47 assault rifles -- that's a weapon, obviously, you see a lot throughout Iraq -- and came up to the grand Ayatollah as he was leaving his office in the city of Najaf, which is about 100 miles south of the Iraqi capital. They opened fire, there was a confusion. Some of the entourage, the security detail around Sistani, were injured. We do not have specific details of what those injuries are.
But Sistani was able to be taken away unhurt, we understand, and has now been moved to a place of safety, according to those within his upper circle.
Now, this, indeed, was a very, very serious incident, because Sistani, as you just said, Miles, represents a very powerful sector of Iraqi society. He is a top Muslim Shiite, a grand ayatollah. Sixty percent of Iraqis are made up of Muslim Shiites. And is it Sistani who has been pushing the United States to move forward for a transitional government at the end of June with direct elections. That in itself meaning that a United Nations fact-finding team will be coming into Iraq in the coming weeks to check on whether or not that is feasible.
But certainly a serious attempt on the life of this top Shiite religious cleric, but he does seem to have escaped this attack unhurt -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Brent Sadler in Baghdad, thanks very much. We'll check in with him as details come in all of this.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
