| A terrorist attack against innocent Iraqis was thwarted at the Tahrir Husseinia mosque in Baqubah when an observant mosque official decided to investigate a suspicious vehicle parked near the building at approximately 2 p.m. Jan. 9. The official asked people in the area and those at prayer if they knew who owned the unfamiliar automobile. He went to the extent of asking for information about the car over the mosque’s loudspeaker. When no one claimed the vehicle he contacted the Iraqi Police. The police responded and discovered that the vehicle was in fact a potentially deadly car bomb packed with 250 pounds of plastic explosives and three 130-millimeter artillery rounds with a remote control detonator wired to the car’s antenna. The Iraqi Police immediately requested assistance from 4th Infantry Division, 588th Engineer Battalion’s explosive ordnance disposal team and quickly evacuated people from the mosque and the surrounding area. With the assistance of the Iraqi Police bomb squad, the 588th EOD team successfully disarmed the device. The vehicle was moved to a secure location for further inspection and investigation. |