Car bomb targets Arab channel, killing 7

[R.A. Hettinga]

One of Ryan's Lackey's business associates, a Shia network engineer from
Southern Iraq, was killed in this bomb.

Cheers,
RAH
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<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-10/30/content_2159434.htm>
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CHINA VIEW

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 Monday,Nov.1,2004


Car bomb targets Arab channel, killing 7

www.chinaview.cn 2004-10-30 02:04:00



    BAGHDAD, Oct. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- A car bomb exploded outside the
Al-Arabiya TV's office in Baghdad on Saturday, killing seven people and
injuring more than a dozen of others, said the TV channel and hospital
sources.

     Police officer Ziad Tareq said at least seven people were killed and
one of them was a woman. Doctors at the nearby Yarmuk Hospital said they
received more than 16 wounded.

     Al-Arabiya said all of the seven killed were workers with it's bureau,
located in the wealthy Mansour neighborhood in western Baghdad, where
senior Iraqi officials and foreign businessmen resided.

     The explosion, which took place around 15:10 p.m. (1210 GMT), started
a fire and sent black smoke over the area, saw a Xinhua photographer.

     The fire was put off one hour later and about 30 vehicles were seen
damaged. The facade of the office building was deformed and the site was
bestrewn with glass and car parts.

     Three bodies were charred beyond recognition, according to the TV channel.

     A militant group identified as "1920 Brigades" claimed responsibility
for Saturday's attack, said a statement attributed to the group. But its
authenticity could not be verified. The group said it accused the
"treacherous network" of taking a pro-American tone in its reporting and
had kept warning it of possible attacks.

     Sabah Nayee, former Al-Arabiya Baghdad Bureau Chief, said he knew
about the threat and his office could be the target, but believed that the
pan-Arab satellite news network was doing right and maintained popularity
in Iraq.

     He said a joint meeting was held inside the building attended by MBC
and Saudi news provider Al-Ekhbariya at the time of explosion. But Nayee
could not conclude if the attackers were aware of the meeting before
unleashing the assault.

     The two companies were renting the building along with Al-Arabiya, who
hired around 50 staff across Iraq.

     It appeared the first time a popular Arab language media was targeted
in car bombings, favored by insurgents to wage attacks against US forces in
Iraq and their cooperators. Based in Dubai and a sister news channel of
Qatar-based Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabiya has broadcast purported videos and
statements from militant groups, including former Iraqi President Saddam
Hussein and Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terror network. It was previously
temporarily banned by the Iraqi authority from covering news out of Iraq.

     However, the Saudi-funded channel was known by Iraqis to be more
cooprative with the interim government led by Iyad Allawi, especially after
he visited Saudi Arabiya earlier this year. End item

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R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'