Woman suspected as bomber arrested

Published on Wednesday 7 January 2009 20:57

A FEMALE suicide bomber allegedly planning to blow herself up among Shiite pilgrims was arrested yesterday in northern Iraq, as millions joined processions across the country to honour the martyrdom of one of their most revered saints.

Police arrested the alleged suicide bomber as she neared a procession in Balad Ruz, 45 miles north-east of Baghdad

Thousands of Iraqi security forces have been deployed to protect an estimated two million Shiite pilgrims joining a procession in the southern holy city of Karbala, which drew pilgrims from Iraq, Iran and other countries, said Aqil al-Khazali, Karbala's provincial governor.

The arrest of the woman, who was pointed out to police by other pilgrims, comes after a suicide bombing by a man dressed as a woman earlier this week near a Shiite shrine in Baghdad which killed 38 and wounded more than 70.

The bombing led Baghdad authorities to ban women from nearing the shrine.

Throughout Iraq, the government has deployed more than 30,000 policemen and soldiers in Baghdad, Karbala and on roads linking the two cities to safeguard the ceremonies.

Attacks by al-Qaeda in Iraq, Sunni insurgents and even a Shiite cult have killed hundreds of people.

Ashoura observances mark the seventh century death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in a battle near Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad, which was a key event in Islam's split into the majority Sunni and minority Shiite branches.

It is a mournful occasion, but Iraq's majority Shiites have used it to showcase their dominance after decades of oppression under Saddam Hussein's Sunni-led regime.