BAGHDAD: Gunmen in army uniforms have seized a senior local official and prominent member of a Sunni party from his Baghdad home, police and security officials said on Saturday.

It was not clear if Riyadh al-Adhdah, who heads Baghdad's Provincial Council and belongs to the Sunni Iraqi Islamic Party, had been kidnapped by militiamen, who often wear military outfits, or detained by the authorities.

A police official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed that men in army uniforms had taken Adhdah.

Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki's military spokesman was not immediately available for comment on the incident.

Adhdah had previously faced terrorism charges but was not convicted due to a lack of evidence. Sunni politicians have long accused Al-Maliki's security forces of targeting them on false terrorism-related charges in a witch-hunt.