Global General

Brazen Baghdad gold heist ends in 15 dead

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-05-26 11:31

People inspect the bodies of people killed when masked gunmen attacked gold shops in the southwestern neighborhood of Baiyaa in Baghdad, Tuesday, May 25, 2010. [Agencies]

BAGHDAD -- Gunmen wearing Arab headscarves and wielding assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and pistols robbed a gold jewelry market in broad daylight Tuesday, killing 15 people in the most brazen example of Baghdad street crime that has soared as sectarian fighting ebbed.

Authorities blamed al-Qaida in Iraq, as they often are quick to do after major attacks and as the investigations are just getting under way.

"The fingerprints of al-Qaida are obvious in today's heist," Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, Baghdad's chief military spokesman said, speaking a couple of hours after the late-morning assault. He said the terror group has been suffering from money shortages and has been planning robberies as a way to fill its coffers.

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Security officials attribute at least part of the past year's crime wave to terror groups looking for new ways to finance their operations, and insurgents adept at launching attacks against military targets now using their skills to make money instead.

Jewelry stores, currency exchanges, and banks are frequently targeted, though insurgents looking for quick cash have also been known to attack oil pipelines to siphon off oil for resale. Aside from known militants, criminal gangs have been blamed for a number of robberies in the capital.

There are few statistics tracking the number and kinds of crimes, partly because the government remains focused on bombings and other insurgent attacks. But street crime has added to the woes of ordinary Iraqis, already plagued by years of war and a lack of electricity and other services.

With US troops out of Iraqi cities since last summer, many Baghdad residents blame Iraqi security forces for failing to protect them.

"The continuing robberies and heists are a clear indication of the weakness and effectiveness of our security forces," Omar Fadhil, a taxi driver in western Baghdad, said Tuesday.

"Iraqi soldiers and policemen are strong and bold against innocent and peaceful civilians, but when troubles by outlaws or insurgents take place, they become something else," Fadhil said.

Authorities detained members of the security unit in charge of the Baiyaa area where the attack took place, although it wasn't clear whether they were suspected of complicity or negligence.

The heist began when the attackers set off a roadside bomb near the gold shops, killing four bystanders and wounding three, police said. Minutes later, gunmen riding in five or six vehicles swept in, carrying rocket-propelled grenade launchers, rifles and pistols, said a witness, Mohammed Elaiwi Nassir.

The gunmen fired shots in the air and threw percussion grenades to frighten off bystanders, he said.

A pistol with a silencer used by gunmen in an attack on goldsmith shops in Baghdad May 25, 2010. [Agencies]