Former Karbala deputy governor detained on terrorism charge

KARBALA / IraqiNews.com: Security authorities arrested on Wednesday the former deputy governor of Karbala with one of his aides on ‘terrorism charge’, the chief of the Karbala police said. “Security authorities on Wednesday (April 29) arrested former Karbala deputy governor, Jawad al-Hasnawi, and one of his aides, Ali al-Silawi, for their role in al-Ziyara al-Shaabaniya incidents,” General Ali Jassem Mohamed told IraqiNews.com news agency. On August 28, 2007, clashes erupted between Iraqi security personnel and gunmen in Karbala during the rituals of the Shiite pilgrimage that commemorates the birth of the Messiah-like Imam al-Mahdi, the 12th holiest figure for Shiite Muslims. Hundreds of thousands of Shiites from inside and outside Iraq flowed into the city in processions to perform the rituals of the visit. The clashes left hundreds of Iraqi security men and civilians killed or wounded. Karbala, with an estimated population of 572,300 people in 2003, is the capital of the province and is considered to be one of Shiite Muslims’ holiest cities. The city, 110 km south of Baghdad, is one of Iraq’s wealthiest, profiting both from religious visitors and agricultural produce, especially dates. SH (S) 1