Thousands of Shi'ite Muslims thronged the streets of the holy city of Najaf in Iraq today for the funerals of three bodyguards killed in a bomb attack on the office of a top cleric.
Carrying posters of Ayatollah Mohammed Saeed al-Hakim, who suffered light neck wounds in yesterday's bombing, some blamed the attack on supporters of a rival Shi'ite leader and called for revenge.
"This was Moqtada al Sadr. His people did it," said one man, part of the angry crowd of at least 2,000 which swarmed behind the three wooden coffins.
Power struggles in Najaf are a key influence on the political future of majority Shi'ite Iraq.
The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq said it was the target of the attack. It is one of the country's main Shi'ite groups but has been criticised by some Shi'ites for co-operating with the US-led administration in Baghdad.
Due to local religious sensitivities, US troops have kept a low profile in Najaf.