Former Iraqi prime minister Ayad Allawi was quoted by Deutsche Presse Agentur (dpa) as saying he survived an assassination attempt while about 60 armed men tried to attack him during prayers in the Shiite holy city of Najaf Sunday. Speaking to reporters in Baghdad, Allawi said gunmen wearing black uniforms and chanting slogans approached him at the Shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf. Television footage showed Allawi and another person running inside the shrine. He said someone tried to shoot at him. "They were planning to kill the whole delegation or at least me," Allawi said, adding, "One of the gunmen took out his pistol, but it fell down from his hand in a moment of fear." Allawi said the incident stopped him from meeting Shiite clerics in the city. --SP 2310 Local Time 2010 GMT
