2005-01-04

Morning Report: January 4, 2005

Baghdad governor assassinated. Ali al-Haidri, the governor of Baghdad Province, was assassinated in a fierce gun battle that also claimed the life of one of his bodyguards, according to this CNN report. (CNN)

Terrorism discounted in laser incidents. Also from CNN, a government official has stated that Federal investigations have found no terrorist connection in recently reported cases of green lasers being trained on commercial aircraft: 'The FBI investigation into recent incidents involving laser beams aimed at aircraft has found no link to terrorism, the Department of Homeland Security's transportation security chief said Monday. "There's not any evidence that these lasers are being used by terrorists," said Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary of border and transportation security. "The FBI certainly continues to investigate and look at these fact scenarios. It's also a safety issue that the Department of Transportation would certainly want to look at." ' (CNN)