Iraq - bombings
Police arrested in Baghdad blasts probe
Article published on the 2009-10-29 Latest update 2009-10-29 13:22 TU
A policeman checks the trunk of a vehicle at a checkpoint in Baghdad on 28 October, 2009
(Photo: Reuters)
Army spokesman General Qasim Atta said all of those being held had been deployed in the Salhiya area of the capital in which the attacks occurred.
A total of 153 people were killed and more than 500 were injured in Sunday’s bombings, which targeted the Ministry of Justice and a provincial government building.
Atta said four senior army officers and seven policemen, including the chief of police of Salhiya, were among those arrested. He confirmed that the commanders of 15 security checkpoints in the area were also being held.
On Monday, Baghdad’s governor Salah Abdul Razzaq blamed “negligence or collusion” for the attacks, which were the deadliest in Iraq for two years.
He said footage of the truck that crashed into the justice ministry showed that it bore the logo of the Department of Water in Fallujah, a town west of Baghdad. Razzaq expressed surprise at this because trucks are forbidden from entering the capital during daylight hours.
Defence ministry spokesman Major General Mohammed al-Askari said earlier this week that the bombers were linked to Al-Qaeda and supporters of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party.
The attacks were claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq, a group with strong links to Al-Qaeda.
