Bodies of church attack victims arrive in Karada

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Bodies of the victims from the bloody attack on the Our Lady of Salvation Church in central Baghdad arrived in St. Joseph church in Karrada before the official funeral. “The bodies were covered with Iraqi flags and were received by their families,” IraqiNews.com news agency’s correspondent said, noting that a number of official figures were there, including the Head of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council, Ammar al-Hakim. A group of armed men broke through Our Lady of Salvation Church in Central Baghdad’s Karrada district last Sunday, taking dozens of Christian worshippers who were attending a religious service captive and demanded the release of al-Qaida detainees in Iraq and Egypt, according to a statement by the Baghdad Operations Command. The attack claimed 58 lives, including 5 of the attackers and 7 security men, whilst the other victims were Christian citizens. The number of wounded reached 75, including 15 Army and police men; the rest had been Christian civilians, according to the Baghdad Command. SH (S)/SR 1