Arson attack on warehouse with ballot papers in Iraq

BAGHDAD, (Patria) - A fire in Baghdad, which destroyed a warehouse where ballot papers from the parliamentary elections held on May 12 were stored, is a criminal act, said the Iraqi Minister of Interior, world media report, BHRT reports.

- There is no doubt that this is a deliberate act, and I am personally monitoring the investigation with the criminal police and the investigative commission in charge of this case - said Minister Kasem al Aradži.

The fire broke out yesterday in the warehouses of the Ministry of Trade in Baghdad, shortly after the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council appointed nine judges to oversee the recount of ballots from the elections and replace members of the election commission.

In Iraq, ten million ballots need to be recounted to verify claims of manipulation during the elections held in May, which were won by Shiite nationalist leader Moktada Sadr.