BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: A legislator from Dawlat al-Qanoon (State of Law) escaped an assassination attempt when a group of armed men attacked his motorcade on Friday evening in southeastern Baghdad, the third one since the March 7 elections in the war-torn country, his office said on Saturday.“An armed group attempted to assassinate Shahmani after they opened fire on his motorcade while he was heading to his mother’s home in al-Amin neighborhood, southeastern Baghdad, on Friday evening,” a spokesman in his office told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
“Shahmani survived unscathed the third attempt on his life since the March 7 general elections,” he added.
Shahmani had defected from the Sadrist Movement of Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr to establish the National Iraq Grouping, which joined Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-MalikiÂ’s State of Law bloc.
A security source in the Iraqi interior ministry had said a ministryÂ’s internal affairs department force arrested on Friday a group of armed men in al-Amin neighborhood on charges of planning lawmaker Shahmani. His office, however, denied reports that the group was arrested.