Occupation: al-Sader is involved in three cases

A legal advisor for the American occupation forces in Iraq said yesterday he suspects the Shiite Clergy Muqtada al-Sader to have been involved in three cases, two of them relate to killing crimes.

He added that al-Sader is involved in the assassination of clergy Abdul Majid al-Khuwai' in al-Najaf city together with two of his escorts. He added that al-Sader is also to be investigated in killing three persons including one pregnant woman in a rental car four months ago in al-Najaf.

The third case he is accused of being involved in confiscating money " of the one fifth " of the donations offered by citizens to holy shrines in mosques and tombs in 2003. The official estimated the donations at hundreds of thousands of Iraqi dinars.

Deputy director of the American military operations Mark Kemet said that the matter pertains to an Iraqi "internal issue." He added " the warrant of arrest is issued by an Iraqi judge and will be carried out by the Iraqi police and al-Sader will be held in an Iraqi jail and will be brought before an Iraqi judge."