Detention of party chief's son raises ire

The U.S. ambassador to Iraq made a public apology.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Thousands of Shiites on Saturday protested the U.S. detention of the son of Iraq's most powerful Shiite politician, and the country's Kurdish president deplored the "uncivilized" behavior of the American soldiers responsible.
The real message of the demonstrations: Don't push the Shiites too far either over concessions to the Sunnis or ties to Iran.
In cities throughout the Shiite south, protesters carried Iraqi flags and chanted slogans against the detention of Amar al-Hakim, 35, who was taken into custody by U.S. troops Friday as he returned from Iran.
He was released about 12 hours later -- with a public apology from U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad.
Al-Hakim is the elder son of Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Republic in Iraq, or SCIRI, a Shiite party with close ties to both Iran and the United States.
The younger al-Hakim told reporters in Najaf that he was handcuffed, blindfolded and his security guards were "strongly abused" before he was set free.
President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd and longtime ally of al-Hakim's father, deplored the Americans' "uncivilized and inappropriate" behavior and demanded punishment for those responsible.
Amar al-Hakim said the Americans told him he was detained because his passport had expired. He displayed an Iraqi passport valid until September.
Smuggling route
Al-Hakim's party was stopped on a route Washington believes is used to supply Shiite militias with weapons and aid. The U.S. military said the vehicles were "met specific criteria for further investigation in an area where smuggling activity has taken place in the past."
The U.S. statement said al-Hakim "was treated with dignity and respect" and referred to "unfortunate incidents" which "occasionally occur as Iraq endeavors to secure its borders."
That did little to assuage Shiite anger. Some Shiites speculated the move was aimed at SCIRI because of its links to Iran and to pressure the party to make concessions to the Sunnis.
The protests in Najaf, Basra and other Shiite strongholds were peaceful and generally modest in size, although 8,000 people turned out in Najaf.
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