Five Brits Kidnapped in Baghdad

Five Britons—four members of a private security detail and a financial consultant—were kidnapped in Baghdad yesterday by gunmen wearing Iraqi police uniforms. The kidnappers are said to have barged into the finance ministry around noon, demanding, "Where are the foreigners?"  After rounding up the British civilians, they drove away in as many as 19 vehicles.

British officials  suspect the raid may be the work of the Mahdi Army; a joint British-Iraqi strike killed the Mahdi commander in Basra May 25, and the militia threatened reprisal. (More Iraq stories.)