Sunni politician seized from home in Baghdad

Gunmen in army uniforms traveling in 10 black SUVs seized a senior Sunni politician from his home in Baghdad, Iraqi police officers said Saturday. The official was reportedly later released.

It was not immediately clear if Riyadh al-Adhdah, the head of the Baghdad Provincial Council, was arrested by security forces or abducted when he was seized late Friday, the two police officers told the Associated Press. Adhdah had previously been jailed on terrorism charges.

Four of his bodyguards were also taken, according to a statement from the provincial council. The officers spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

The incident came at a time of mounting sectarian tensions, with Sunni militants having seized swaths of northern and western Iraq and Shia militias mobilized to help the beleaguered armed forces fighting back. 

Sunni fighters led by the group Islamic State seized territory in the north last month, posing the biggest challenge to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government since U.S. forces withdrew in 2011.

Sunnis have long complained of being unfairly targeted by security forces, and their discontent with Maliki's rule is seen as a central cause of the country's unrest. Maliki's security forces have targeted prominent Sunni politicians in the past, alleging links to terrorism. 

Maliki discussed Adhdah's disappearance with Salim al-Jabouri, the Sunni speaker of parliament, at a meeting Saturday before Adhdah was eventually released. The speaker called the disappearance a "problem."

At a press conference Saturday, provincial council member Falah al-Qaisi called upon the government to "shoulder its security responsibility," and opened an investigation "in order to reveal the circumstances of the incident and ensure (Adhdah's) personal safety." Qaisi did not provide details on who might have seized Adhdah.

In 2012, Adhdah, a medical doctor and member of the Iraqi Islamic Party, was imprisoned for eight months on terrorism charges. He has maintained his innocence.

The provincial councils are the highest of the four tiers of local government in Iraq established following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled former President Saddam Hussein.

Wire services