Suicide bomber arrested in Misayiab

BABEL / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi army forces arrested on Saturday a suicide bomber planning to attack a military checkpoint in northern al-Misayiab area, where pilgrims of the Arbaen were heading on foot to the holy Shiite province of Karbala, a military source said. The arrest comes just one day after a deadly attack by a female suicide bomber who targeted a gathering of pilgrims also in Misayiab, leaving more than 100 people killed or wounded. “A force from the Iraqi army’s 31st Brigade arrested a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt and trying to attack a military checkpoint in al-Misayiab, (40 km) northern Hilla city,” the source told IraqiNews.com news agency. Earlier on Saturday, the ministry announced a financial reward for information about the bomber’s safe house. The Arbaeen marks the 40th day after the death of Imam al-Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson and the third holiest figure for Shiite Muslims, in the battle of Taf in Karbala in the Hegira year 61 (680 in the Gregorian calendar). Scores of pilgrims from inside and outside Iraq have started the long trek on foot for the pilgrimage. Tight security measures have been in force and a large number of security personnel have been deployed in Iraq’s holy sites in preparation for the occasion. Karbala, said to house the tombs of Imam al-Hussein and his brother Imam al-Abbas, lies 130 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. AmR (S)/SR 1