Sunni Official Taken by Gunmen in Baghdad

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Iraqi firefighters hose down a burned car after a car bomb attack in the oil rich city of Kirkuk, 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, July 25, 2014.

Image: Associated Press/Associated Press

By The Associated Press2014-07-26 13:33:37 UTC

BAGHDAD — Gunmen traveling in 10 black SUVs seized a senior Sunni politician who had previously been jailed on terrorism charges from his home in Baghdad, police officers said Saturday.

It was not immediately clear if Riyadh al-Adhdah, the head of the Baghdad Provincial Council, was arrested by security forces or abducted late Friday, the two police officers said. Four of his bodyguards were also taken, according to a statement from the provincial council. The officers spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

See also: Iraq Now Censoring Websites Critical of Government

The incident comes at a time of mounting sectarian tensions, with Sunni militants having seized vast swaths of northern and western Iraq, and Shiite militias mobilized to help the beleaguered armed forces fight back. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, is looking to secure a third four-year term despite widespread calls to step aside over the crisis. Iraq has reportedly been censoring websites critical of the central government, according to researchers.

Al-Maliki discussed al-Adhdah's disappearance with Salim al-Jabouri, the Sunni speaker of parliament, at a meeting Saturday. The speaker called the disappearance a "problem" without saying whether al-Adhdah had been arrested or kidnapped. Sunnis have long complained of being unfairly targeted by security forces, and their discontent with al-Maliki's rule is seen as a central cause of the country's unrest.

Al-Maliki's security forces have targeted prominent Sunni politicians in the past, alleging links to terrorism. Shortly after the last U.S. troops withdrew in 2011, the security forces tried to arrest Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi on terrorism charges, forcing him to eventually flee to exile in Turkey. Al-Hashemi, who was later convicted in absentia and sentenced to death, has denied the allegations.

Sunni government officials have also been targeted by Islamic extremists and other Sunni militants, who view them as traitors.

At a press conference Saturday, provincial council member Falah al-Qaisi called upon the government to "shoulder its security responsibility," and open an investigation "in order to reveal the circumstances of the incident and ensure (al-Adhdah's) personal safety." Al-Qaisi did not provide details on who might have seized al-Adhdah.

In 2012 al-Adhdah, a medical doctor and member of the Iraqi Islamic Party, was imprisoned for eight months on terrorism charges. He has maintained his innocence.

The provincial councils are the highest of the four tiers of local government in Iraq established following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled former President Saddam Hussein.

Additional reporting by Mashable

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Topics: iraq, US & World, World