Murder Warrant Issued for Shiite Cleric Months Ago: U.S.

FALLUJAH, IRAQ - An Iraqi judge issued a warrant last year for the arrest of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, the man linked to a deadly uprising over the weekend, U.S. coalition forces revealed Monday.

Coalition spokesperson Dan Senor said it was just a coincidence that it was being made public a day after militants loyal to al-Sadr attacked U.S.-led coalition forces in four cities throughout the country in one of the bloodiest days of fighting since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

On Monday, Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Iraq, called al-Sadr an "outlaw" and a threat to the Iraqi people.

At least eight American soldiers, a Salvadoran and as many as 60 Iraqis died in the uprising linked al-Sadr, who opposes the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. Hundreds more were injured as battles raged in Baghdad, Najaf, Nasiriyah and Amarah.

"Effectively he is attempting to establish his authority in the place of the legitimate authority. We will not tolerate this," Bremer said. "We will reassert the law and order which the Iraqi people expect."

Al-Sadr, 30, called off Sunday's show of force after the battles had raged for several hours. He issued a statement saying that street protests would be replaced by a sit-in at a mosque in Kufa, where he's been delivering anti-American sermons for months.

Shiite Muslims, who form the majority of Iraq's population, welcomed the fall of Saddam for the most part and had until now avoided clashing with the Americans.

Meanwhile, American troops sealed off the city of Fallujah on Monday as they prepared to respond to an attack on four U.S. contractors last week.

The mission, code-named Vigilant Resolve, involves 1,200 Marines as well as two battalions of Iraqi forces. They will move into the mainly Sunni Muslim city to look for insurgents loyal to former leader Saddam Hussein.

On Wednesday, Iraqis fired on four civilian security contractors travelling with a food convoy through Fallujah, killing the Americans in their vehicles. Their burned bodies were mutilated and dragged through the streets before two of the charred corpses were hung from a bridge as cheering Iraqis celebrated.