Guard of Iraqi Sunni politician detained for planning attacks on Green Zone

A bodyguard of a prominent Sunni politician was detained for allegedly belonging to al-Qaida and planning suicide attacks on Baghdad's heavy fortified Green Zone, the U.S. military said in a statement on Saturday.

"The detained individual is suspected of involvement in the planning of a multi-vehicle suicide operation inside Baghdad's International Zone (Green Zone)," the statement said.

"Credible intelligence indicates the individual, a member of Dulaimi's personal security detachment, and seven members of the detained individual's cell were in the final stages of launching a series of VBIED (car bomb) attacks inside the International Zone, possibly involving suicide vests," it added.

The statement also said that the guard was believed to be a member of the al-Qaida in Iraq and had links to a car bomb network in southern Baghdad.

A local media report said earlier that the detained individual was identified as Khudhir Farhan, who was taken into custody on Friday at the premise of Adnan al-Dulaimi, the head of the largest Sunni bloc in parliament.

Meanwhile, Iraqi government imposed a one-day curfew as of Saturday in the capital amid fears of new violence during the fasting month of Ramadan.

According to a statement from Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's office, the curfew would remain in force until 6:00 a.m. (0200 GMT) on Sunday and all pedestrians and road traffic were banned from the streets.

The statement gave no reason for the ban, which is believed to aim at curbing rampant violence in Baghdad during Ramadan.

U.S. commanders said there has been a spike in violence in the capital since the start of Ramadan, which Sunnis started observing on last Saturday and Shiites on Monday.

Source: Xinhua