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Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki denied on Saturday that a group of officers arrested three days previously had been plotting a coup against the Shiite-led government, state television reported.
In his first reaction to the incident, Maliki was quoted by the channel as saying: "People who speak about a coup have illusions. The officers have a patriotic spirit and are far from this nonsense.
"If you hear that something happened here or there concerning people working in state security, it is the result of irregularities or unlawful actions, and irregularities will be punished under the law."
Twenty-four security personnel arrested on Thursday on suspicion of aiding terrorism were reported freed on Saturday amid claims that their detention had been orchestrated by Maliki supporters.
Brigadier General Abdel Karim Khalaf said the interior and defense ministry officers "have all been released and the allegations were dropped," without saying when this happened.
"They are patriotic officers. We will take action against the people who made the allegations against them," he added.
There was confusion over whether they had all been freed, however.
A high-ranking interior ministry official who asked not to be identified said: "Two days ago, the judge assigned to the case ordered their release because the source of the information against them failed to appear in court.
"But despite the decision, all the 24 officers have still not been released even after a meeting between Maliki and (Interior Minister Jawad) Bolani today, but they are supposed to be released either tonight or tomorrow."
On Thursday, officials announced the arrest of several dozen people over an alleged plot against Maliki's government.
Later a top general said only 24 interior and defense ministry staff had been arrested, and that they were being held on suspicion of aiding terrorism rather than planning a coup.
Without giving a source, the pan-Arab daily newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat said on Saturday that "the arrests were carried out by a special counter-terrorism group supervised personally by Maliki."
The operation "could have been launched by Maliki to weaken his rivals before the provincial elections" scheduled for Jan 31, it said, decrying an "atmosphere of political secrecy and rivalry in Iraq."
On Friday, Bolani, who will head a rival list for next month's elections, said the allegations against the men were "fabricated and not based on any security fact or any intelligence information."
The incident happened "because the ministry has limited the influence of certain political parties in the interior ministry and other ministries," he added without elaborating.
"The persons who want to do something to the interior ministry will find me standing in their way," Bolani said.
Announcing the arrests on Thursday, a security official had said those held were "linked to the Al-Awda (The Return), a clandestine group that was working to bring the Baath party back into power."
The New York Times, citing senior security officials in Baghdad, reported that day that 35 interior ministry officials had been arrested, with some accused of planning a coup.
The arrests were made by a unit reporting to Maliki, it said, adding that some of the detainees were connected to Al-Awda and were in "the early stages of planning a coup."
Al-Awda first surfaced in June 2003, just three months after the U.S.-led invasion that ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and his feared Baathist regime.
It groups former members of the Baath party, Saddam's elite Republican Guard and his security services, which were dismantled in the aftermath of the war.
News of the arrests came just days after a farewell visit to Iraq by George W Bush, who met Maliki during his trip and was beside him when an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at the U.S. president.
© Wire reports
15 Comments
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adaydream
Slowly the country slip back to what it was. Iraq will eventuately, decades, Iraq will slide back into a dictatorship. It's the mentality of the people, the culture.
This coup attempt is just one of many that Iraq will deal with until it slides back into a dictatorship. < :-)
MikeBarrymore
Why didn'T America leave Iraq alone? Saddam was much better and tolerant of freedoms than other mid east countries. Of course they will be a coup, Iraa's history is riddled with them darlings.
smithinjapan
Ah, yes. Let the denial begin. I wonder if Nippon5 will come on here an immediately believe the Iraqi government again -- I mean, they must be right if they said it's a fact that there was no plan for a coup! Next the government will be saying there was no man who threw his shoe at GWB! At any rate, it wouldn't be a surprise if the fledgling government makes these 'patriotic officers' disappear.
Sarge
"News of the arrests came just days after... an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at the U.S. president."
Had to get that in there.
likeitis
Sounds like Iraq might end up with a strongman at the helm. Oh, well, at least he will be OUR strongman, and we can use him as a bulwark against Iran....I am having a sensation of deja vous.
Its still early though. Not sure if I should accuse anyone of appeasement yet.
smithinjapan
sarge: "Had to get that in there."
I know... you guys just hate the fact that a man stuck it to the president and showed the world what your average Joe REALLY thinks about the illegal invasion if Iraq. Fortunately, you're not going to get to simply hide this one.
Anyway, how about the press interview the people who were arrested? Wait, let me guess... they can't be reached.
Sarge
"a man stuck it to the president and showed the world what your average Joe REALLY thinks about the illegal invasion if ( of ) Iraq"
Ha ha! If the average "Joe" really thought the liberation sucked, we'd have hundreds of thousands or even millions throwing their shoes in the direction of the president.
"illegal invasion"
Is this the illegal invasion which resulted in a situation where a guy can throw his shoes at a guest of the leader of Iraq and not immediately have his limbs cut off?
Checking...
Yeah, it is!
Wottock_Hunt
Yes, an illegal invasion. You don't need to go any further than that. It was an illegal invasion resulting in a lot more people left without limbs than anything Saddam could have carried out if he'd set up a conveyor belt for the purpose.
Illegal invasion is not a good thing, Sarge. Good to see you running true to form, though.
Sarge
"Illegal invasion is not a good thing"
Yeah, we could have just left Iraq to fester under good ol' Saddam. That would not have been a good thing, Wottock. Good to see you running true to form, though.
Moderator: Back on topic please.
smithinjapan
sarge: "ha ha! If the average "Joe" really thought the liberation sucked, we'd have hundreds of thousands or even millions throwing their shoes in the direction of the president."
Given the chance, I guarantee you'd have at least a BILLION willing to... world-wide, of course. But since your adamant about the situation in Iraq, it should be simple enough to test your theory; let bush walk around outside the Green Zone and see how well he's greeted. If it's a free, democratic, and thankful nation he'll have no problem and no trouble, right?
"Is this the illegal invasion which resulted in a situation where a guy can throw his shoes at a guest of the leader of Iraq and not immediately have his limbs cut off?"
Not quite cut off, but at least one or two were broken, eh? Oh, but of course no one is allowed to go in and see the man and ask him what happened.
In this case, sarge, you have a bunch of men who very well want to return to the days of Saddam, LITERALLY, and were planning a coup to do it. More than 20 men, I believe, and those are just the ones caught. Now the fledgling democracy is trying to cover it all up, not allowing the men to speak to anyone, and still not freeing the rest of the 'patriotic men'. Why not?
One more question, sarge... if and when Iraq reverts back to a dictatorship in yet another example of failed American regime change, are you still going to be able to cut and paste your, "the same illegal invasion that ousted an evil dictator from his many palaces..." etc., crap? Yeah, I guess you will, but you'll have to follow it with, "... from his many palaces only to result in hundreds of thousands dead and an even worse dictator taking power in yet another example of failed American regime change... checking... Yes, it is!"
smithinjapan
sarge: "Yeah, we could have just left Iraq to fester under good ol' Saddam. That would not have been a good thing, Wottock. Good to see you running true to form, though."
What a very mature response to Wottock's post! Of course, you failed to actually contribute anything or comment on what he said, but you did pull a sargie cut-n'-paste at the end, which is very 'true to form'.
Ah, yes... the illegal invasion. Just so hard form some of you to admit it was wrong. Hell, even your president did.
adaydream
george bush has never announced he would go to Iraq. he has always gone into Iraq under the veil of darkness and slithered into the Green Zone like a serpent.
he hasn't ever travel around the streets of Iraq, even protected by 100 armored soldiers and 3 helicopters.
This administration in Iraq is just hiding truths like the bush administration. They don't dare allow the world to know that a coup attempted to take control of the country.
Mission Accomplished. < :-)
BlackFlag
can't let this slide. if the 'average joe' could get within chucking range then yes we would see millions of people throwing their shoes or preferably worse at the president of the usa. millions of americans in fact. it's a bit tricky however to get the opportunity, and the possibility of being locked up and waterboarded for doing so is something of a deterrent I would imagine. I mean, seriously, how can you possibly believe otherwise?!? really??
Sarge
I see BlackFlag missed the news in April, 2003, when jubiliant Iraqis were smacking Saddam's statue with their shoes and shouting, "Thank you, Mr. Bush!"
Moderator: Stay on topic please.
Wottock_Hunt
I see Sarge still misses the significance of the word "Illegal"