Terrorists have detonated a bomb outside the house of one of the most important Muslim Shiite clerics in Iraq killing three guards.
Around 10 others including family members were injured.
The bomb, a gas cylinder wired to explode, was placed along the outside wall of the home of Mohammed Saeed al-Hakim who suffered scratches on his neck
He was also leader of what was the armed wing of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq - headquartered in Iran before the war.
The bomb exploded after noon prayers in the holy city of Najaf.
Iraqi newspapers had reported last week that al-Hakim had received threats against his life. He had also been among a group of three top Shiite leaders that were threatened with death by a rival Shiite cleric
Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim, a member of Iraq's US-picked Governing Council, said: "Obviously terrorist groups who belong to the former regime are behind this incident
AP