Iraq’s top Shiite cleric Friday denounced the killing of a teenager whose body was strung up by his feet from a traffic pole in a Baghdad square, as conflicting versions emerged about what led to the 16-year-old’s death. Security officials initially told The Associated Press that he had been beaten to death by an angry mob after he killed four anti-government protesters and two shopkeepers in a shooting spree. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the nation’s top Shiite cleric, on Friday called the teen’s killing a “horrific crime” that must not be repeated and called on Iraqi authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable.
