Mosque blast sparks Shi'ite fury

A BOMB attack on one of Iraq's most revered Shi'ite shrines yesterday spawned mass protests and reprisal attacks against dozens of Sunni mosques.

The brazen assault which blew the landmark golden dome off the mosque was the third major attack against Shi'ite targets in as many days and threatened to enflame religious passions.

No group claimed responsibility for the early morning attack on the Askariya shrine in Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, but suspicion fell on Sunni extremist groups.