BAGHDAD, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Unidentified gunmen attacked on Wednesday the office of Shakhwan Abdullah, the second deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament, in Iraq's northern city of Kirkuk, a local police source said.
The incident took place in the evening when gunmen threw a hand grenade at Abdullah's office in the Rahim Awa neighborhood in central Kirkuk, some 250 km north of Bagdad, Major Ihsan al-Obaidi, from Kirkuk police, told Xinhua.
Abdullah escaped the attack unharmed because he was not in the office during the attack, which caused some damage to the building, al-Obaidi said.
Iraqi security forces cordoned off the office and launched an investigation into the incident, he added.
The incident came after a series of attacks targeting politicians and headquarters of Sunni and Kurdish parties after the Iraqi parliament held its first session on Jan. 9, which witnessed a heated debate between the parliamentary blocs.
During the session, the lawmakers re-elected Mohammed al-Halbousi as parliament speaker, while Hakim al-Zamili and Shakhwan Abdullah won the majority of votes for positions of the first and second deputies, respectively. ■
