Freelance photographer held in Iraq

Ibrahim Jassam Mohammed, an Iraqi who has supplied photos and video to Reuters on a freelance basis for about two years, was detained in a raid on his home in Mahmudiya, 30 km south of Baghdad, by US and Iraqi forces early on Tuesday morning, his family said.

They also confiscated photographic equipment, his sister Eman told Reuters.

A US military spokesman declined comment on any charges Jassam may be facing, saying only that he is in US custody.

"He was detained because he was evaluated as a security threat, and his case is now being evaluated," spokesman Rear Admiral Patrick Driscoll told Reuters.

"We are concerned to hear about Jassam's detention, and urge the US military to either charge or release him once an initial investigatory stage is concluded," editor-in-chief David Schlesinger said.

"Any accusations against a journalist should be aired publicly and dealt with fairly and swiftly, with the journalist having the right to counsel and present a defence. Iraqi journalists like Jassam play a vital role in telling this story to the world," Schlesinger said.

Reuters and international media rights groups have previously criticised the military's refusal to deal more quickly with suspicions apparently arising from reporters' legitimate activities covering acts of violence.

The Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, an Iraqi press rights group, urged the military to reveal where Jassam is being held and to say why he was arrested. ■