Cleric killed in Baghdad after attack on Samarra shrine

BAGHDAD, Iraq Gunmen in Iraq have killed a Sunni cleric in Baghdad as protests erupted following an explosion at a famous Shiite shrine.

The Iraqi Army says the cleric was sprayed with bullets as he entered a mosque.

Shiite leaders have been calling for calm following an early morning attack at a shrine in Samarra. But a leading Sunni politician says militants have attacked 29 Sunni mosques nationwide. He fears the situation could get "out of control."

No one has claimed responsibility for the Samarra attack, which heavily damaged the mosque's golden dome. But investigators think Sunni extremist groups could be to blame.