Witnesses: Explosion targets Shiite cleric
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SPECIAL REPORT
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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- An explosion ripped through a convoy carrying a Shiite cleric Sunday morning, injuring at least four people, eyewitnesses told CNN.
An improvised explosive device was planted in a streetlight in the Karkh district, in central Baghdad, and damaged three of the cars in Hussein Al-Shami's convoy.
The blast happened around 9:30 a.m. (1:30 a.m. ET), witnesses said. It is believed Al-Shami was the target of the attack, although it is not clear if he was injured.
U.S. soldiers were on the scene, inspecting the aftermath of the explosion.
The Coalition Press Information Center said the explosion took place near the Ministry of Religious Affairs, near Baghdad's Medical City, citing reports from the U.S. Army's 1st Armored Division.
The Coalition Provisional Authority appointed Al-Shami to a high ranking post in Iraq's Ministry of Religious Affairs, giving him control of the Shiite section of the ministry.
He was exiled by former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein for his activities in the radical al-Dawa party.
