Baghdad body guard suspected of al Qaeda ties and plans for massive car bomb attack

AP/Fox News:

A bodyguard detained at the home of a leading Sunni Arab politician is suspected of being a member of Al Qaeda in Iraq, thought to be involved in planning a major suicide car bombing assault inside Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, the U.S. command said Saturday.

Guard Khudhir Farhan was taken into custody Friday at the home of Adnan al-Dulaimi, the head of the largest Sunni bloc in parliament, al-Dulaimi told The Associated Press.

"The detained individual is suspected of involvement in the planning of a multi-vehicle suicide operation inside Baghdad's International Zone," the U.S. military said in a statement without identifying the suspect.

The zone in downtown Baghdad is home to the Iraqi government, parliament and the U.S. and other western embassies.

"Credible intelligence indicates the individual, a member of Dr. Dulaimi's personal security detachment, and seven members of the detained individual's cell were in the final stages of launching a series of (car bomb) attacks inside the International Zone, possibly involving suicide vests," the military said.

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This news apparently led to the Baghdad lock down ordered this weekend. It appears to be another example of how Iraqi intelligence is reshaping the war and making arrest of the enemy within. It is an example of how the Iraqification of the war effort is producing positive results as well as set backs from time to time.

Interesting commentary on how the war in Baghdad is shaping up is available at the Belmont Club too. Bill Roggio has more information on the raid. His report was before there was an explicit indication of the tie of the raid to the lock down.