Bremer declares radical cleric an 'outlaw'

Paul Bremer, the top US administrator in Iraq, has declared radical Shia Muslim cleric Moqtada Sadr an “outlaw” who threatens Iraq’s security.

“Effectively he is attempting to establish his authority in the place of the legitimate authority. We will not tolerate this," said Bremer.

“We will reassert the law and order which the Iraqi people expect,” Bremer told a security team meeting convened to discuss how to respond to Sadr.

Bremer did not say if US authorities would move to arrest al-Sadr, but the declaration stepped up the confrontation with the 30-year-old firebrand cleric.

Al-Sadr does not hold widespread support among Iraq’s Shi'ites, many of whom see him as too young and inexperienced to lead.