Tens of thousands of Shiites gather in Karbala

Tens of thousands of Shiites gathered in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala today, and police said they had uncovered a cache of explosives and arrested four insurgents for allegedly planning an attack on the pilgrims.

In December, more than 50 pilgrims died in a series of bombings in the city, 50 miles south of Baghdad, and in March 2004 at least 181 people died in co-ordinated bombings of Shiite pilgrims in Karbala and Baghdad. Both attacks were blamed on Sunni extremists.