Iraq the Model adds this eyewitness account of the hornet's nest stirred up by the Shi'ite mosque explosion. His bullet points are reproduced verbatim below.
- President Talabani promises to make rebuilding the shrine his personal responsibility and to donate the required money from his own.
- Head of the Sunni endowment sheikh Ahmed al-Samarra'I announces that he will allocate 2 billion dinars (~1.4 million $) for the rebuilding of the shrine from the treasury of the Sunni endowment.
- Huge demonstrations in many of Iraq's provinces including Samarra and Mosul where thousands of people condemned the attack.
- The top 4 Shia Ayatollahs hold a meeting at Sistani's home to discuss the situation.
- The Association of Muslim scholars and the Islamic Party condemn the "criminal act".
- Retaliatory attacks on reportedly 29 Sunni mosques and the Accord Front warns from the consequences of such violent reactions.
- Jafari in a press conference calls for national unity and the leaders of the UIA hold a meeting. A press release is expected to come soon.
- The Iraqi TV opened the phone lines to receive the reactions of the audience to the attack and hosts Sunni clerics and politicians in an attempt to relieve the tension.
- Baghdad is in undeclared emergency situation, shops closed and streets nearly empty.
- Tight security around the shrine of Abu Haneefa in Aazamiya district of Baghdad, this is considered the top shrine/mosque for Sunni Muslims in Iraq.
- Masked gunmen attack Shia protestors in at least one neighborhood in western Baghdad and armed clashes in Ghazaliya and Hay al-A'amil.
- People exchange phones calls with their relatives and friends to check on them and discourage them from leaving their homes.
Update
Bill Roggio's appreciation of who the perps are is given below:
The likely culprit is al-Qaeda in Iraq...8 comments
http://www.littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/weblog.php
Saudis Support Hamas
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