Iraq's most powerful Shi'ite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, survived an assassination attempt on Thursday when gunmen opened fire on his entourage, a security official in his office said.
"At 10 o'clock (7 a.m.) this morning, gunmen opened fire on Ayatollah Sistani as he greeted people in Najaf, but he was not hurt," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
