Interpol issues arrest notice for Iraqi VP

Interpol said Tuesday it had issued an international Red Notice for the arrest of Iraq's fugitive vice president Tareq al-Hashemi "on suspicion of guiding and financing terrorist attacks".                                      "The Red Notice for al-Hashemi represents a regional and international alert to all of Interpol's 190 member countries to seek their help in locating and arresting him," the Lyon-based international police agency said. Hashemi, a leading Sunni Muslim politician, fled Baghdad in December when Iraq's Shi'ite-led government accused him of running death squads. The vice president, who is currently thought to be in Istanbul, has denied the charges saying they are politically motivated and has refused to stand trial in Baghdad. The Red Notice did not amount to an international arrest warrant, it added, but was a call on forces in its 190 member countries to help locate al-Hashemi and bring him to justice. There was no immediate reaction from Turkey which is a member of Interpol. "At the request of Iraqi authorities, Interpol has published a Red Notice for Vice-President Tareq al-Hashemi on suspicion of guiding and financing terrorist attacks in the country," Interpol said in a statement. "The Interpol Red Notice will significantly restrict Tareq al-Hashemi's ability to travel and cross international borders," Interpol's secretary-general Ronald K Noble added. Hashemi is wanted for suspicions of leading and financing terrorist groups in Iraq.  The Iraqi official has lived in Turkey since April 9 this year fter he left Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region after the interior ministry revealed confessions from his guards of committing acts of violence on his orders. On April 1he traveled to Qatar in response to an official invitation from the Emir of Qatar, then to Saudi Arabia on April 5 from where he said he will return to Kurdistan after his tour in the region. Hashemi called on Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, in a press conference in Turkey, on May 4 to “take revenge” for the excesses of the prime minister Nuri al-Maliki, who “caused historical harm to the presidency,” demanding Talabani lift “injustice” off him for the denial of the transfer of his case outside of Baghdad. The Higher Judicial Council of Iraq on May 3 said that the court had decided to postpone Hashemi's trial to May 10 and consider the appeal submitted by the defence team regarding the transfer of his trial from the criminal court to the federal court. Hashemi accused the office of Nuri al-Maliki of being behind the death of two of his arrested guards as a result of torture, and said that the security services did not reveal the news about their death since before the Arab Summit of March 29. Hashemi called the judiciary and the Council of Representatives to open an investigation into the circumstances of the death of one of his guards who died in a previous incident, in addition to investigating the case of the two new deaths. The requestes were denied by the Higher Judicial Council, adding that the concerned judicial party was still working on the case at that time. The investigating panel of Hashemi’s case declared on February 16 that the vice president was involved in 150 armed operations, including car bombs, explosive attacks, rocket-launching, targeting Iraqi and Iranian visitors as well as senior officers and MPs.