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| Gunmen seize 100 at Iraq ministry | Gunmen seize 100 at Iraq ministry |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Gunmen in military-style uniforms have abducted more than 100 men from a government building in central Baghdad. | |
| The kidnappers arrived in pick-up vehicles and stormed the education ministry's research directorate. | |
| They ordered women into one room and seized the men, including employees, guards and visitors to the building. | They ordered women into one room and seized the men, including employees, guards and visitors to the building. |
| Academics have been frequent targets of violence in Iraq but this is one of the biggest and most brazen mass kidnappings since the US-led invasion. | |
| An interior ministry official said the police chief of the Karrada area, where the abduction took place, and senior officers had been placed under investigation and would be "held responsible". | An interior ministry official said the police chief of the Karrada area, where the abduction took place, and senior officers had been placed under investigation and would be "held responsible". |
| Reports say three of those kidnapped were later freed unharmed. | |
| Quick guide: Iraq violence | |
| Correspondents say many Iraqis believe mass kidnappings like this latest incident are committed by members of the Shia Muslim-dominated security forces or take place with their collusion. | Correspondents say many Iraqis believe mass kidnappings like this latest incident are committed by members of the Shia Muslim-dominated security forces or take place with their collusion. |
| Such kidnappings are often for ransom, but many victims are subsequently found dead. | |
| Higher Education Minister Abd Dhiab said teaching in Baghdad's universities would be halted until the security situation improved. | |
| In other developments: | In other developments: |
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| Identities checked | Identities checked |
| The head of the parliamentary education committee, Alaa Makki, interrupted a televised parliamentary session with the news and urged the prime minister and interior and defence ministers to respond rapidly to what he called a "national catastrophe". | The head of the parliamentary education committee, Alaa Makki, interrupted a televised parliamentary session with the news and urged the prime minister and interior and defence ministers to respond rapidly to what he called a "national catastrophe". |
| Mr Makki said the abductees had been both Shias and Sunnis and had been seized by gunmen claiming to be working for the government's anti-corruption body. | Mr Makki said the abductees had been both Shias and Sunnis and had been seized by gunmen claiming to be working for the government's anti-corruption body. |
| The building appears to have been a soft target for kidnappersHowever, a civil servant who said he was returning to the building at the time of the abduction, described gunmen lining up the male staff in the car park and checking their identity cards. | The building appears to have been a soft target for kidnappersHowever, a civil servant who said he was returning to the building at the time of the abduction, described gunmen lining up the male staff in the car park and checking their identity cards. |
| "They picked only the Sunni employees. They even took the man who was just delivering tea," he told Reuters news agency. | |
| "They gathered them all in the pick-ups. At the same time, I saw two police patrols watching, doing nothing," he said. | "They gathered them all in the pick-ups. At the same time, I saw two police patrols watching, doing nothing," he said. |
| The gunmen reportedly closed off roads around the institute and took away their captives in handcuffs. | The gunmen reportedly closed off roads around the institute and took away their captives in handcuffs. |
| The office is responsible for awarding grants to Iraqi academics wishing to study abroad. | The office is responsible for awarding grants to Iraqi academics wishing to study abroad. |
| Academic institutions have been particularly badly hit in the violence that has engulfed Iraq since the US invasion in 2003, with dozens of professors killed and hundreds leaving the country because of fears for their safety. | Academic institutions have been particularly badly hit in the violence that has engulfed Iraq since the US invasion in 2003, with dozens of professors killed and hundreds leaving the country because of fears for their safety. |
| The higher education minister is a member of main Sunni Arab political bloc in Iraq - where most ministries are fiefdoms of the various sectarian groups. | The higher education minister is a member of main Sunni Arab political bloc in Iraq - where most ministries are fiefdoms of the various sectarian groups. |
| Mr Dhiab told reporters that the gunmen had headed towards east Baghdad after the abduction, but police units who gave chase failed to catch them. | Mr Dhiab told reporters that the gunmen had headed towards east Baghdad after the abduction, but police units who gave chase failed to catch them. |
Do you live in Iraq? Are you affected by this story? Use the form below to tell us your experiences and reaction. | Do you live in Iraq? Are you affected by this story? Use the form below to tell us your experiences and reaction. |