Iraqi President Slams Assassination Attempt against PM, Warns of Coup against Constitution

Iraqi President Barham Salih. (Reuters file photo)
Iraqi President Barham Salih. (Reuters file photo)
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Iraqi President Slams Assassination Attempt against PM, Warns of Coup against Constitution

Iraqi President Barham Salih. (Reuters file photo)
Iraqi President Barham Salih. (Reuters file photo)

Iraqi President Barham Salih condemned on Sunday the failed assassination attempt against Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

In a tweet, he said: “The terrorist attack that targeted the prime minister is a dangerous violation and heinous crime against Iraq.”

The attack demands a “united stand to confront evildoers that are undermining the security of this nation and safety of its people,” he added.

“We cannot tolerate that Iraq be dragged towards chaos and for a coup to be staged against its constitutional system,” he declared.

A drone laden with explosives targeted Kadhimi’s residence in Baghdad early on Sunday. The PM escaped unhurt.

The attack, which security sources said injured several members of Kadhimi’s personal protection detail, came after protests in the Iraqi capital over the result of a general election last month turned violent.

Head of the Shiite Hikma movement, Ammar al-Hakim condemned the attack against the PM’s residence, warning against attempts to undermine the state.

In a tweet, he said the “dangerous development” will expose the state to danger and “threaten Iraq’s image before the international public.”

The attack undermines the achievements that have been made on the security, political and economic levels, he added.

Sadrist movement leader, cleric Moqtada al-Sadr slammed the attack, saying it targeted “Iraq, its people, security and stability.”

In a tweet, he added that the failed assassination was an attempt to “drag Iraq to chaos so that it can come under the control of non-state powers and so that it can live under the threat of violence and terrorism.”

He called on the army and security forces to seize control of the situation so that Iraq can recover and come back stronger.

President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani slammed the attempt on Kadhimi’s life.

He tweeted that this “dangerous terrorist development threatens the security and stability of the country and could have severe consequences.”

He called on all sides to show restraint and calm.



Blaze at Cairo Telecom Building Kills 4 and Disrupts Internet, Phone

A boy wearing a mask looks on, as firefighters work to extinguish a fire that erupted in a telecommunications building in the Ramses district of downtown Cairo, Egypt July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
A boy wearing a mask looks on, as firefighters work to extinguish a fire that erupted in a telecommunications building in the Ramses district of downtown Cairo, Egypt July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
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Blaze at Cairo Telecom Building Kills 4 and Disrupts Internet, Phone

A boy wearing a mask looks on, as firefighters work to extinguish a fire that erupted in a telecommunications building in the Ramses district of downtown Cairo, Egypt July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
A boy wearing a mask looks on, as firefighters work to extinguish a fire that erupted in a telecommunications building in the Ramses district of downtown Cairo, Egypt July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Four workers were killed and at least 22 others were injured in a fire that broke out on Monday at a key data center in Cairo, Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the spokesperson at Egypt's Health Ministry, told Reuters on Tuesday.

The blaze at a Telecom Egypt facility, which state TV said was contained on Monday, caused disruptions to communications across the capital.

Egypt's Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Amr Talaat, said in a statement on Tuesday that services will be gradually restored within 24 hours.

In a statement on Tuesday, Telecom Egypt said it mourned the employees that lost their lives and offered support for their families.

The fire halted phone calls, and disrupted internet access, with internet monitoring group Netblocks saying network data showed national connectivity at 62% of ordinary levels.

The health ministry posted alternative numbers for ambulance services across different governorates in case people were unable to reach its main hotline.

Besides phone calls, some digital banking services were also impacted including credit cards, ATM machines and online transactions, a bank source and residents said on Monday. Banks had already been closed for the day.

The injuries were mostly because of smoke inhalation, health ministry spokesperson Ghaffar said on Monday.

The state news agency MENA said on Monday the fire had been prevented from spreading to the entire building and neighboring rooftops.

An initial examination indicated that the fire was likely to have been caused by an electrical short circuit, MENA cited a security source as saying.