The demonstration was called by supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr, 48, an influential Shi'ite cleric who commands the loyalty of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.
He led two anti-U.S. revolts, prompting the Pentagon to call his Mehdi Army militia the biggest threat to Iraq’s security.
In Iraq's sectarian 2006-2008 civil war, the Mehdi Army was accused of forming death squads that kidnapped and killed Sunni Muslims.
In 2008, after clashing with the Iraqi army, he disbanded the Mehdi Army, renaming it the Peace Brigades.
- Sadr has opposed Iranian influence in Iraq, setting him apart from other Shi'ite leaders who have close ties to Tehran.
Persons:
Muqtada, Mehdi, Sadr, Mohammed Sadeq al, Saddam Hussein, Mohammed Baqir, Saddam, sayyid, Prophet Mohammad ., Sadr's, Tom Perry, Angus MacSwan
Organizations:
Protesters, Pentagon, Mehdi Army, Brigades, Sweden, Thomson
Locations:
BAGHDAD, Swedish, Baghdad, Sweden, Muqtada al, Sadr, U.S, Iraq, Tehran, Iran, Stockholm, Iraqi