Gunmen in bomb belts hold Iraqi lawmakers hostage

[March 29, 2011]  BAGHDAD (AP) -- Authorities say gunmen wearing suicide bomb belts are holding local lawmakers and employees hostage in a government headquarters in central Iraq.

A policeman and a senior Iraqi intelligence official say it is not known how many people are being held at the Salahuddin provincial council headquarters in Tikrit.

Police immediately imposed a curfew to prevent all road and pedestrian traffic in Tikrit, located 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Baghdad.

The intelligence official compared Tuesday's attack to a deadly siege in a church in Baghdad last fall.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

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THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE.
AP's earlier story is below.

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Iraqi officials say a rocket fired at the Green Zone in Baghdad has killed a bystander and wounded four others.

The rocket landed around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday near a small hotel across the Tigris River from the heavily fortified area that houses government offices and foreign embassies.

A policeman at the scene said a second Katyusha rocket landed inside the Green Zone but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

A second policeman said one person was killed and four wounded. A doctor confirmed the casualties. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release information.

The attacks were launched on the second day of a trade visit to Iraq by Turkey's prime minister.

[Associated Press; By LARA JAKES]

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