Powerful blast damages Shiite shrine in Iraq

Special Reports: Violence over Shiite holy shrine blast in Iraq

A powerful explosion Wednesday morning rocked the city of Samarra, 120 km north of Baghdad, badly damaging the golden dome of a major Shiite shrine Ali al-Hadi.(Photo: Xinhua/AFP)

Damaged shrine.(Photo: Xinhua/AFP)

Tens of thousands of Shiites took to the streets in Iraqi cities such as Baghdad, Samarra, Najaf and Karbala in protest against the attack. (Photo: Xinhua/AFP)

    TIKRIT, Iraq, Feb. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- A powerful explosion Wednesday morning rocked the city of Samarra, 120 km north of Baghdad, badly damaging the golden dome of a major Shiite shrine Ali al-Hadi, a provincial source told Xinhua.  

    "A powerful explosion rocked Samarra at about 6:45 a.m. (0345GMT) at the shrine of Ali al-Hadi and badly damaged the golden dome," said the source from Salahudin province, where Samarra is located.

    The blast caused no casualties, he added.

    U.S. and Iraqi security forces immediately cordoned off the area, preventing the angry people from approaching the scene, he said.

    The U.S. and Iraqi troops arrested all security members of the shrine for interrogation, he said.

    Many people in the city took to the streets in protest against the attack and chanted slogans against the U.S. troops, terrorism and the Iraqi government, which they accused of failing to bring security and stability to the violence-torn country, he said.

    The shrine of Ali al-Hadi, or the al-Hadhrah al-Askariyah,contains two tombs of Ali al-Hadi, who died in 868 A.D., and his son Hassan al-Askari who died in 874 A.D.. The two are the 10th and 11th of the Shiite's twelve most revered Imams. Shiite pilgrims visited the shrine from all over the world. Enditem