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| Iraq |
| British "civilian" arrested in Iraq |
| 2005-10-04 |
| BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A British civilian and nine Iraqis have been arrested by Iraq's border security force, a British military spokesman in the southern city of Basra told CNN Tuesday. The spokesman could not confirm the time, location or circumstances of the arrest, but an Iraqi police official in the central city of Najaf told CNN that "10 suspected terrorists" were arrested near the Saudi border on Monday, noting that among them was a British national. Col. Thamer Kamel with the Iraqi border guard in Najaf said a British national by the name of Colin Peter was arrested around 8 p.m. (12 noon ET) Monday along with nine Iraqis on a highway between Anbar and Najaf. Peter claimed to be a contractor, but his passport did not support his claim, Kamel said. The group, traveling in three GMC Suburbans, was carrying machine guns and GPS satellite technology. Additional: The group was travelling in three vehicles and carried Kalashnikov assault rifles, a video camera, a satellite telephone and a GPS satellite positioning device. The nine Iraqis are all said to be from Basra. According to Kamel, Peter is being held by the border guard, pending a response from the British embassy. British embassy officials in Baghdad said they could not confirm the report at this time. In London, a spokesman with the British Foreign Office said: "We are aware of the reports that the Iraqis have arrested a British national. We are investigating the circumstances and we will have more details later on." The arrest comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions between Shiite leaders in Basra and British forces. The Governing Council in Basra cut ties with Multinational Forces after British troops freed two men that the council alleges were British undercover troops who killed an Iraqi civilian and beat a policeman. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #5 Wait I thought the limeys banned gun ownership, because good guns kill bad people. Wait, I'm confused. |
| Posted by: Covert Floridian 2005-10-04 17:49 |
| #4 Albeit - you left out the albeit. It's no good without the albeit. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-10-04 16:55 |
| #3 Ten men, ten guns -- probably qualifies as insufficiently armed in that area. |
| Posted by: Darrell 2005-10-04 15:15 |
| #2 A British engineer arrested after allegedly carrying weapons and surveillance equipment into Iraq from Saudi Arabia, has been released, it was reported tonight. The Briton, identified by his business card as Colin Peter Wanley, was with 10 Iraqis arrested yesterday near the southern Shia holy city of Najaf after crossing the desert border. Authorities found eight Kalashnikov assault rifles, two pistols, ammunition, radios and GPS satellite navigation equipment in the convoy of vehicles in which the men were travelling, police said. A police spokesman in Najaf said Mr Wanley was taken into custody because he had entered Iraq without a required visa. The engineer was working for a water treatment company, identified on his card as Ammtech International Consultants Ltd, police said. Two of the others who had been detained were released with him, reports suggested. "Just a simple, heavily armed engineer. Nothing to see, move along" "We can confirm that we are aware that a British national has been detained by the Iraqi border police," a Foreign Office spokeswoman in London said. "We are currently seeking clarification of the details of the detention. Full consular assistance will be offered." She could not confirm whether he had subsequently been released. |
| Posted by: Steve 2005-10-04 14:42 |
| #1 It's not always clear around Basra who it is actually doing the arresting, nor who it is getting arrested. Mookie's militia maybe on the arresting side? And maybe an Iraqi security force and a British advisor being arrested? Or maybe a drug smuggling gang being arrested by real police? Does anyone have a link or copy of a recent article in the British press about the Basra incident with the Brits being sprung from jail in a scenario where the the jailors were Mookie's militia? |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2005-10-04 13:21 |