Son of Shiite leader detained at border

BAGHDAD, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- The eldest son of a powerful Iraqi Shiite leader was detained for several hours by U.S. troops Friday after he crossed the border from Iran into Iraq.

The U.S. military said Amar Abdul Aziz al-Hakim had an expired passport, which he denied, The New York Times reported. Hakim said he was blindfolded and handcuffed, and his father said some of his bodyguards were beaten.

Hakim, the son of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, is involved with his father in the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq.

After his release, Hakim showed the Times a passport with a September expiration date.

"They arrested me and my guards in an unsuitable way, and they bound my hands and blindfolded me," he said. "They took our phones, bags, money, documents and the guards' weapons, and sent us to an American base."

Lou Fintor, a spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, said the incident was under investigation. But he said soldiers appear to have followed standard procedure.