News / Politics
Gunmen kidnap up 150 staff and visitors at research institute in Baghdad.
Approximately 80 men dressed in police commando uniforms stormed the Higher Education Ministry in Baghdad’s Karradah neighborhood and kidnapped up to 150 staff and visitors on Tuesday.
The four-story building was overrun by the men at 9:30 am and they quickly separated the men from the women. They claimed to be on a mission from the government’s anti-corruption body and had a list of names of the professors they wanted.
It was obvious from the outset that the kidnapping had been highly orchestrated and involved elaborate planning. The gunmen, posing as police commandos, had blocked off nearby streets prior to the raid. The four guards at the building, massively outnumbered, put up no resistance and were unharmed.
The police chief and several officers in the Karradah neighborhood have been placed under investigation
Shortly after the building was stormed, Abed Theyab, Iraq’s higher education minister, closed all universities sighting security concerns. Speaking to parliament, Theyab said “I have only one choice which is to suspend classes at universities. We have no other choice.”
Since the U.S. led war in Iraq over 150 educators have been killed, many for their religious views concerning the dangers of Islamic fundamentalism.
Both Shiites and Sunnis were among the kidnapped. No reports have been made concerning injuries.
