BAGHDAD, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid on Monday condemned the kidnapping and killing of a prominent activist loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, calling it a threat to security, stability and peaceful coexistence.
Rashid said in a statement that the killing of Ayser al-Khafaji, a famous blogger, was a violation of the law, urging the security forces to tighten the security measures to protect the citizens' safety. He also called for an investigation into the incident and bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Al-Khafaji was found dead on Monday morning on the side of a highway in the Jebala area, north of the city of Hilla, some 100 km south of the capital Baghdad, after he was kidnapped on Sunday evening near his house by a group of outlaws, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The Interior Ministry confirmed the incident in a statement, without naming the victim or the kidnappers.
Al-Khafaji was an influential follower of al-Sadr, who leads the Sadrist Movement and commands the loyalty of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. ■
