An Iraqi photographer working for Reuters was hospitalized Friday after police beat him at the scene of a bombing, officials told CNN. The unnamed still photographer was in stable condition after five Iraqi policemen struck him on the head with AK-47 rifles, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said.
A police official said the photographer was filming the aftermath of a suicide bombing in Fallujah when police approached him and asked him to stay back for his own safety. Seven people were killed in the suicide bombing, including an infant and four soldiers. The official, who described the scene as chaotic, said the photographer disregarded the request and began filming the scene along with a video cameraman from Reuters.
An argument between police and the cameramen ensued, leading to violence, the official said. The cameraman was also injured, but he was not brought to the hospital.
| Folks, if there is a bombing, and the police stretch the yellow tape out at the scene to do an investigation, and you cross the yellow tape, you're going to get thumped by the coppers. True in Fallujah, true in Chicago. |
The five policemen involved were detained, and the case is under investigation, the official said. Reuters said a senior police official had given the photographer permission to take pictures at the scene. |