Gunmen attack convoy of al-Hakim's son

Left: Shi'ite cleric Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, and his son, Ammar al-Hakim, also an important cleric. The elder Hakim spent years in exile in Iran before returning to Iraq. In December, he met with Bush in Washington, shortly before the administration attempted to coordinate Prime Minister Maliki's ouster with Hakim chosen by Washington to be the power-broker behind the scenes. The elder Hakim is also head of the Badr Brigade, a Shi'ite militia. In February, the U.S. raided the Baratha mosque in Baghdad, which is associated with the elder Hakim. The U.S. military says it was targetted for 'illegally armed militia kidnapping, torture and murder activities'. Shortly after, the younger Hakim was arrested by U.S. forces 'by mistake' upon his return from a trip to Iran.

NAJAF, Iraq, April 20 (Reuters) - The convoy of the son of powerful Iraqi Shi'ite politician Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim was attacked in the southern Baghdad district of Doura on Thursday and six of his bodyguards were wounded, an official said.

Ammar al-Hakim's convoy was fired on as it was travelling to Baghdad from the southern holy Shi'ite city of Najaf.

"The convoy was attacked because it was an official-looking convoy, (the attack) was not targeting Ammar al-Hakim personally," a media official in Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim's office said.

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