Briton arrested over double shooting in Iraq

A British contractor was arrested today after a fellow Briton and an Australian contractor were shot dead in Baghdad’s protected Green Zone.

The gunman allegedly shot his co-workers and wounded an Iraqi with a pistol inside the vast area that is sealed off from the rest of the capital, according to Iraqi military spokesman Qassim al-Moussawi.

“It started as a squabble,” said al-Moussawi.

“The suspect is facing a premeditated murder charge. The matter is now in the hands of Iraqi justice.”

Patrick Toyne-Sewell, a spokesman for ArmorGroup Iraq, confirmed that two employees of the group identified as Briton Paul McGuigan and Darren Hoare of Australia were killed early today in a firearms incident.

“We are working closely with the Iraqi authorities to investigate the circumstances of their deaths,” he said, adding that their relatives had been informed.

The gunman could be the first Westerner to face an Iraqi trial on murder charges since a new security pact took effect on January 1.

The US-Iraqi security pact that replaced the UN mandate for foreign forces lifted the immunity that had been enjoyed by foreign contractors in Iraq for much of the six-year war.

Mr al-Moussawi said the suspect was being held at an Iraqi police station in the Green Zone.

The British Embassy said two Britons were in Iraqi custody in connection with the shooting.

But Interior Ministry spokesman Major General Abdul-Karim Khalaf maintained that only one suspect was being held, identifying him as Danny Fitzsimmons.

The shooting occurred in the compound operated by Research Triangle Institute, the headquarters of two US-funded non-profit groups – the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute.