US "anti-war mom" arrested outside White House

Cindy Sheehan, the "anti-war mom" who has become an icon of US anti-war movement recently, was arrested Monday while protesting outside the White House.

Local media reported that Sheehan, a 48-year-old Californian housewife, was taking a rest on a sidewalk near the White House with other protesters when she was taken custody by some policemen, who said they have broken the law by failing to move along.

She was the first to get arrested and led to a police vehicle amid strong protests from fellow protesters.

"The world is watching!" yelled the protesters.

A police spokesman later said Sheehan and her companions will be charged with the misdemeanor of demonstrating without permission.

He said Sheehan and others will be released after being fingerprinted and photographed, but it could probably take several hours.

Since Sheehan's 24-year-old son was killed in Iraq last year, she has gradually become a leading vocal in the growing anti-war population in the United States.

One of the most attention-drawing things she did was the 26-day vigil outside US President George W. Bush's private ranch in Crawford, Texas, throughout August.

Before her arrest, Sheehan was among several hundred demonstrators who marched around the White House on Monday to protest against the Bush administration's war policy.

The move is one of anti-war activities which swarmed the US capital in recent days.

On Sept. 24, a massive demonstration was staged in Washington gathering at least 100,000 anti-war protesters from all over the country, and was the largest protest in the capital since the Iraq war began in March 2003.

Source: Xinhua