[JURIST] A close associate of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki [official website, in Arabic] told AP Friday that al-Maliki was unaware of a controversial plan by Shiite Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani [Wikipedia profile] to arrest [JURIST report] Sunni leader Harith al-Dhari [Aljazeera profile], head of the powerful Association of Muslim Scholars [association website, in Arabic; GlobalSecurity backgrounder] and a vocal critic of the majority-Shiite government, on charges of incitement of terrorism and violence. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also indicated that the prime minister did not plan to act on the warrant. AP has more.

Al-Dhari, believed to be in Jordan when the warrant was issued, has declared the warrant illegal [AP report] and encouraged fellow Sunnis to abandon their government posts in protest.