Iraqi politician 'involved in 1983 embassy bombings'
US officials are investigating allegations that an Iraqi politician took part in the 1983 bombing of the US and French embassies in Kuwait and is a conduit for Iranian weapons and supplies smuggled to Shiite militias, a spokesman said today.
Jamal Jaafar Mohammed, who was elected to parliament in December 2005 on the Shiite ticket, was sentenced to death for his role in the bombings, in which five people were killed and 86 injured, but escaped to Iran before he could be arrested, CNN reported.
CNN said US intelligence in Iraq believed Mohammed helped Iranian special forces in Iraq as “a conduit for weapons and political influence.”
The network said US military intelligence officials had approached the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki about allegations that Mohammed “assists Iranian special forces in Iraq as ’a conduit for weapons and political influence.”’
“Western intelligence agencies also accuse Jamal Jafaar Mohammed of involvement in the hijacking of a Kuwaiti airliner in 1984 and the attempted assassination of a Kuwaiti prince,” CNN said.
US Embassy spokesman Lou Fintor said the Americans “are actively investigating these allegations and continue to be in close contact with the government of Iraq in pursuing this case.”
He refused to elaborate because the investigation is ongoing. US officials believe Iran has stepped up shipments of weapons and funds to Shiite militias, some of which have killed Americans.
Shiite politicians said Mohammed, who was also known as Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis, stopped attending parliament sessions last year and is believed to be in Iran.
Mohammed was active in the Shiite opposition to Saddam Hussein and was affiliated with the political and military wing of the Badr Brigade.
The brigade was organised and trained by the Iranians to fight against Iraq in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war and was led by Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, a key political figure. Shiite officials say the Badr Brigade gave up its weapons and was transformed into a political movement after Saddam’s regime collapsed.
Mohammed ran for parliament on the Badr ticket. The organisation is part of the Shiite alliance that also includes al-Maliki. Mohammed served as a political adviser to al-Maliki’s predecessor, Ibrahim al-Jaafari.
