PERSIAN GULF

IRAQI CLERIC AL-SADR UNHARMED BY MORTAR

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A mortar round slammed to earth near Muqtada al-Sadr’s home yesterday in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, but the anti-American cleric was not hurt, an aide said. Also yesterday, the Iraqi army said it had dispatched troops to investigate a report that 30 beheaded corpses were found in a village north of Baghdad. Brigadier Saman Talabani, commander of the Iraqi Army 2nd Battalion, said the bodies were reported by residents in Mullah Eid, a village near the town of Buhriz, a former Saddam Hussein stronghold about 35 miles north of Baghdad. A child and at least one guard were wounded in the Najaf attack, which hit some 165 feet from Mr. al-Sadr’s home, according to police and al-Sadr aide Sheik Sahib al-Amiri. The aide said Mr. al-Sadr was at home but was not injured.

– Associated Press

NAVY SHIP COLLIDES WITH TANKER IN GULF

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A U.S. Navy destroyer collided with an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf off Iraq, slightly injuring four people, the Navy said yesterday. The USS McCampbell collided with the tanker late Saturday about 30 miles southeast of the Iraqi coastline. Two sailors and two crew members of the tanker were treated for minor injuries at the scene, Navy spokeswoman Lt. Leslie Hullryde said. No oil was spilled in the collision. Both ships suffered minor damage but were deemed seaworthy. The oil tanker was flying the flag of the Pacific island nation of Kiribati. McCampbell, home-ported in San Diego, is one of several coalition forces vessels conducting maritime security operations for southern Iraqi ports. Oil passing through the terminals is the main source of revenue for Iraqi reconstruction.

– Associated Press

MIDDLE EAST

EGYPTIAN TERRORISTS CHARGED

Thirteen suspected terrorists were charged in Egypt Sunday for a series of bombings at Red Sea holiday resorts, Reuters reported. The blasts in Sharm el-Sheikh in July last year and in Taba and two other beach resorts in October 2004 killed more than 100, mostly foreign tourists. “The accused formed a terrorist organization … which carried out the explosions in Taba, Nuweiba and participated in perpetrating the attack in Sharm el-Sheikh,” Reuters reported prosecution lawyer Hisham Badawi telling the court. The accused denied the charges and said they confessed under torture. Egyptian authorities say the bombers were Sinai bedouin, some with Palestinian connections, but that there is no evidence they had connections with terrorist groups outside of Egypt. The case will resume on May 27.

– Special to the Sun

SADDAM ASKS ARAB LEAGUE TO BACK INSURGENTS

AMMAN, Jordan – Saddam Hussein urged Arab leaders to support Iraqi insurgents, warning that an “American-Israeli conspiracy” aims to split Iraq into pieces, according to a yesterday posting on the Internet of a letter purportedly written by the former Iraqi leader. The message warned Arab leaders holding a summit in Sudan beginning Tuesday that their countries could be next in what it called a grand American scheme to divide Arab nations and control the Middle East’s oil wealth.

– Associated Press

WESTERN EUROPE

MAN ARRESTED OVER CARTOON PROTEST

British police investigating street demonstrations last month against the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad have arrested a 23-year old man in North London under suspicion of soliciting to murder, the BBC reported.

– Special to the Sun