Iraq says officers held over diplomat's kidnapping

BAGHDAD, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Four Iraqi military officers are being held over the kidnapping this week of an Iranian diplomat in Baghdad, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said today.

''Those detained are military officers,'' Zebari told a news conference, adding they were being questioned over who had ordered the abduction.

Up to 30 gunmen in Iraqi army uniforms kidnapped Jalal Sharafi, the second secretary at the Iranian embassy, on Sunday.

Zebari said it did not appear that the four officers were linked with the government, although he did not elaborate.

Iran blames the United States for the abduction and wants Sharafi released.

The US military rejects the charge, but the incident threatens to further raise tensions between the United States and Iran, which are already high over Tehran's nuclear programme.

US forces in Iraq have arrested a number of Iranians, including diplomats, in the past two months, and are still holding five Iranians.

Washington accuses Tehran of aiding militants fighting US forces in Iraq and US President George W Bush has vowed to disrupt such support.

An Iraqi government official yesterday said police close to the kidnap scene had opened fire on the gunmen and arrested six of them.

These six men were then apparently collected from a local police station by security officials who said they would take them to the Serious Crimes building in Baghdad. Local police later discovered the suspected kidnappers never arrived.

REUTERS BDP RAI2028