Iraqi imam beheaded by group linked to Al Qaeda

BAGHDAD - A Sunni imam was beheaded by a group linked to Al Qaeda in Iraq, who then placed his head on an electric pole, security sources said Monday.

Militants stormed the house of Abduallah Jassem Shakour in the area of Saadiya just east of the city of Baquba at dawn.

They attacked Shakour with knives in front of his family members, eventually beheading him and placing his head on an electric pole, Ahmed al-Zarkoushi, the director of the Saadiya area, told DPA.

Shakour, who was believed to be at least 70-years-old, preached at the Saadiya mosque, frequently calling for national unity and forbidding work with al-Qaeda and other armed groups, al-Zarkoushi said.