5 arrested in Basra

BASRA / IraqiNews.com: Policemen in Basra arrested three wanted men on “criminal charges” and two suspects others in different areas of the province on Friday, the city’s police information office said. “The local police conducted search raids in different areas of Basra, arresting three wanted persons for involvement in criminal acts and two suspects others,” the office told IraqiNews.com news agency. “The Criminal Evidence Police Department personnel defused an improvised explosive device (IED) in the district of Abi al-Khaseeb, (20 km) southern Basra,” the source added. The oil-rich port city of Basra lies 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. AmR (P)/SR 1