Tens of thousands of Iraqis attended a mass prayer in a Baghdad suburb on Friday called for by an influential Shiite cleric, sparking fears of instability amid a deepening political crisis that has followed the country's national elections.
Followers of Moqtada al-Sadr arrived in the capital from across the country, filling up Sadr City's al-Falah Street — the main thoroughfare that cuts across the populist figure's key bastion of support. Worshippers carried Iraqi flags and wore white shrouds, typically donned by his supporters.
