- BAGHDAD: Al-Qaeda in Iraq has denied government allegations that suspected militants in Iraqi custody were planning to attack the World Cup in South Africa.
A statement purportedly from the group was posted on the Internet on Monday, describing the government's allegations as "cheap lies." The Iraqi government announced last week it had arrested a Saudi citizen accused of planning an attack against the World Cup.
The alleged militant, Abdullah Azam Saleh Al-Qahtani, said in an interview with The Associated Press that he and a friend talked about attacking Danish and Dutch teams at the World Cup next month to avenge insults against the Prophet Muhammad.
Al-Qahtani said he came to Iraq in 2004 to fight Americans and was recruited by Al-Qaeda.