The son of an official close to Grand Ayat Allah Ali al-Sistani — Iraq's most influential Shia figure - has been shot dead southeast of Baghdad by an unknown assailant. Ali al-Khatib, the 30-year-old son of Sayyid Habib al-Khatib, was killed on Sunday in the town of Naamaniya. His father, al-Sistani's aide in Wasit province, survived a similar assassination attempt two months ago. Last week, Islamist group Jaish Ansar al-Sunna (the Army of Ansar al-Sunna) claimed the assassination of another aide to al-Sistani. Meanwhile, two election centres in Iraq's second city of Basra came under mortar attack two weeks ahead of elections planned for most of the country. Five mortar shells landed on the election centres in the southern city, said Lieutenant Ammar Hassa. The attacks caused material damage to the buildings but there were no casualties, he added.