No attempt on Sistani's life

[Aidoneus]

Aides deny attempt on al-Sistani's life
Friday 06 February 2004, 14:32 Makka Time, 11:32 GMT

Aides of Grand Ayat Allah Ali al-Sistani on Friday denied reports that the Iraqi Shia spiritual leader had survived an assassination bid.

According to one of al-Sistani's communications officers, security guards arrested a man on Thursday as he tried to break into the Ayat Allah's office in Najaf, 160km south of Baghdad, to carry out an unspecified "criminal act".

Sheikh Abd al-Mahdi al-Karbalai, one of the Ayat Allah's representatives, said on Friday in an interview with Lebanon's al-Manar television that "arresting someone does not mean that there was an assassination attempt".

Al-Manar TV, owned by the Lebanese Shia party Hizb Allah, also quoted al- Sistani's son, Muhammad Rida, as saying reports of an assassination bid were "inaccurate".

--snip--

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3DC0D8F0-06DD-44DD-B2A5-AECE548A5430.htm

----------------------------------------

2004/02/06
No attempt on Sistani's life
10:08:23

Najaf, Feb 6 - The office of the revered spiritual leader of Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority, grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, rejected reports on an assassination attempt on his life Thursday.

Saba television, affiliated with US command, had reported that gunmen sprayed Sistani's car with bullets as he left his office for home, which prompted a large number of people to gather around the house of the grand ayatollah to get informed of his health condition.

--snip--

http://www.iribnews.com/Full_en.asp?news_id=197902&n=31

----------------------------------------