Islamic group claims parliament blast
(AP)Updated: 2007-04-13 21:31
BAGHDAD - An insurgent umbrella group that includes al-Qaida in Iraq claimed
Friday one of its "knights" carried out the parliament suicide bombing in
Baghdad's Green Zone, and the US military revised the death toll sharply
downward to one dead.
 An image taken from video footage shows people leaving the scene of a suicide bomb blast in the Iraqi parliament in Baghdad, April 12, 2007. [Reuters]  |
"A knight from the state of Islam ... reached the heart of the Green Zone ... the temporary headquarters of the mice of the infidel parliament and blew himself up among a gathering of the infidel masters," the Islamic State said in the statement posted on one Islamist Web site commonly used by insurgents.
The SITE Institute, which tracks militant postings, said the claim appeared authentic. Some media reported on Thursday that al-Qaida in Iraq had issued a claim an hour after the attack, but the Islamic Web forum on which it was reportedly posted was not among those used by the Islamic State in Iraq, so SITE cast doubt on its authenticity.
In a statement Friday morning, the US military said "after further research and consultation with government of Iraq officials" it had determined that only one "civilian" had been killed in the attack and 22 were wounded.
Parliament officials said the victim was Mohammed Awad, a moderate Sunni lawmaker. Seven of the wounded were members of parliament, the officials said.
US military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell had said Thursday that eight people were killed in the bombing, a major security breach in the most heavily guard region of Baghdad.
Iraqi lawmakers, meanwhile, gathered Friday in a rare - and defiant - session of parliament on the Muslim day of prayer. A red and white bouquet sat in Awad's place in the parliament chamber. Empty seats outnumbered people, though, as lawmakers took the podium one after another to denounce the bombing. One MP had his arm in sling and a woman lawmaker wore a neck brace.
"The more they (terrorists) act, the more solid we become. When they take from us one martyr, we will offer more martyrs," Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi said. "The more they target our unity, the stronger our unity becomes."
But the turnout was low because of a weekly Friday ban on driving.
"Also the MPs' turnout is very low today because most of them are visiting those who were wounded by the blast," said Mohammed Abu Bakr, head of the parliament's media office.
The meeting began late and adjourned after about 90 minutes.
The parliament chamber bore no signs of damage, but cleanup had yet to begin elsewhere in the building, where investigators were still trying to determine who was behind the attack and how they penetrated the tightest security in Baghdad - the heavily fortified Green Zone compound, which houses the US Embassy as well as offices of the Iraqi government.
"The cafeteria is still not clean. There is still flesh of the bomber on the floor," Abu Bakr said.
Iraqi parliament speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani said Friday's session was "a clear message to all the terrorists and all those who dare try to stop this (political) process, that we will sacrifice in order for it to continue."
"We feel today that we are stronger that yesterday," he said. "The parliament, government and the people are all the same - they are all in the same ship which, if it sinks, will make everyone sink."
Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh told lawmakers that the government "had
received indications that this building would be targeted." Before the attack
Thursday, security guards took the unusual precaution of using dogs to search
inside the parliament building.
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