IRAQ: The spiritual leader of Iraq's Shia Muslim majority, Grand Ayatollah Sistani, escaped an assassination attempt yesterday, writes Jack Fairweather in Baghdad
Four unidentified gunmen opened fire on his car as the cleric was making a rare trip away from his Najaf headquarters. He was said to be unharmed but in a state of shock at a safe location.
In recent months Ayatollah Sistani's call for democratic elections before this summer's power transfer to an Iraqi government has pushed the reclusive cleric into the limelight.
The US-led administration plans a future government appointed through electoral colleges. Ayatollah Sistani fears this will not give the country's Shia majority enough say.
The attack came the day before a team of UN experts was expected in Baghdad to assess the feasibility of the ayatollah's demand for elections before a June 30th deadline for the power transfer.