Arrests in Iraq Seen as Politically Motivated

But he has also angered political opponents as well as allies with his plan to create government-financed tribal support councils that appear designed to enhance his authority in areas where he lacks support.

"He feels stronger but should not forget that he became prime minister because of a concession by other political groups," Othman said. "The people who brought him to power could bring a vote of no-confidence against him."

Adding to the concern of Maliki's critics is his secretive style, a legacy of the days when his Dawa party resisted Hussein's autocratic government. Maliki and his inner circle continue to operate covertly, often without informing their closest allies.

Jalaledin Saghir, a senior lawmaker with the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, a Shiite political bloc that is part of Maliki's ruling coalition, said the party had not been notified of the arrests.

"We need more information about this operation to be sure it did not break any laws," Saghir said. "If there were any kind of mistakes, we will speak out at the appropriate time."

The operation's secrecy fueled speculation that a power struggle over the Interior Ministry had erupted between the Dawa party and the Supreme Council. In recent weeks, tensions have grown between the two parties over Maliki's tribal support councils. The ministry is widely believed to be controlled by the Supreme Council and its armed wing, the Badr Organization.

"This operation might have been done for political reasons," said Ahmed al-Masudi, a lawmaker loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who helped bring Maliki to power but has opposed many of his policies. "The Dawa party thinks this is the best time to increase their influence in this ministry."

Iraq's largest Sunni political bloc expressed outrage at the arrests. "It's tension between these two sides. Each side is trying to push each other out," said Saleem Abdullah al-Jubouri, a spokesman for the Iraqi Accordance Front, referring to Dawa and the Islamic Council.

Saghir and Majeed said the arrests were not related to a contest for power between the two parties.

Some Shiites have questioned the allegiance of Hussein-era military and police officers who are members of Iraq's current security forces. "There is a fear that some of the commanders are loyal to the Baath Party, so the government is working under this guise, to find a reason for the arrests," Jubouri said.

The Sunni bloc, he said, is waiting to see who was arrested; then it will demand evidence that the detainees were trying to reconstitute the Baath Party. Officials said those arrested included Sunnis and Shiites.

Some Shiite lawmakers applauded the arrests and said they were convinced that those detained were plotting against the government. "We have confirmed information that members of the Baath Party are trying to rearrange and reorganize themselves and are seeking support to achieve their aims," said Samira al-Musawi, a Shiite lawmaker.

On Thursday, some officials in the Interior Ministry expressed concern. "The majority of the officers arrested are Sunnis," said an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the comments. "I think this crisis was done for political reasons, especially because it happened before the provincial election."

Other lawmakers said they doubt that any loyalists of the Baath Party could infiltrate the ministry.

"We, who are inside the political process and the government, know that all the important and critical posts inside the Interior Ministry hierarchy are connected to the Iranian intelligence," said Mohammed al-Dayeni, a Sunni member of parliament. "I don't believe any of these charges because I know who is in the Ministry of Interior and who is running it."

Special correspondents K.I. Ibrahim, Aziz Alwan and Dalya Hassan in Baghdad contributed to this report.