US Trashes Sunni Mosque and arrests scholars

It appears that US troops have raided a Sunni Mosque in Baghdad, arrested a number of Sunni scholars, and trashed their offices.

US troops have raided the headquarters of the Association of Muslim Scholars, which opposes the US occupation of Iraq, and detained five people. The association said US troops burst into the Um al-Qura Mosque complex in western Baghdad at 3am (0000 GMT) on Sunday, blowing doors off hinges and ransacking offices. A source in the office of Shaikh Harith al-Dhari, who heads the association, said: "They took Shaikh Unis al-Ugaidi [a member of the association], two employees and two guards. "We do not know the reason, but it's obvious, it's due to the association's attitude towards the occupation." He said US troops had disarmed about 20 bodyguards stationed in the complex and confiscated their weapons.

The AMS is an influential group of Sunni Muslim scholars who hold sway over many Muslims, especially in the western governorate of Anbar, heartland of the revolt against the US presence in Iraq.

Its leaders have called on US forces to withdraw from Iraq and boycotted the 15 December parliamentary election. Christian crosses Reuters Television footage showed spent shotgun shells and explosive charges lying on the ground of the offices. Many office doors showed signs of forced entry.

In one room, cupboards used to store the shoes of worshippers had what appeared to be Christian crosses scrawled on them.