Baghdad security official disputes car theft figures

An official from the Baghdad Operations Command has said that Iraqi security officers are trying to clamp down on the number of cars being stolen in the capital, amid fears that extremists are using them to carry out bomb attacks. Brigadier Saad Maan issued a statement in which he denied the validity of recent media reports that more than 20,000 cars were stolen in Baghdad in the last 12 months. The Iraqi official argued that the figures were being used as a ploy to strike fear in citizens and security forces. Maan said that authorities had been able to foil several car bomb plots in the capital, significantly limiting the number of attacks.