Police and the army sealed off the capital before dawn after a tip-off that insurgents planned multiple attacks in the city, highlighting concerns about violence in the run-up to a general election.

An aide to Major General Qassim Atta, spokesman for Baghdad's military command, told AFP that 25 "terrorists" were captured in raids across the city between 3.00 am and 9.00 am (2400 GMT Monday and 0600 GMT).

Some 200 kilogrammes (440 pounds) of C4 category explosive, the same amount of TNT, and 250 kilos of ammonium nitrate were seized, the aide added.

"Terrorist groups intended to detonate car bombs in Baghdad on Tuesday morning," Atta said in an official statement.

"The security measures were imposed to protect civilians, which included shutting off many roads and taking steps to find the suspected cars," he added.

Coordinated vehicle bombings in Baghdad in August, October and December killed nearly 400 people in all and wounded more than 1,000, sparking charges against the security forces of incompetence or connivance.

Tuesday's lockdown caused gridlock with cars, buses and lorries backed up as bridges and routes into the city were closed, forcing people to travel on foot as military helicopters circled overhead.

Atta later told state television that the security operation was a success but warned that it may be repeated without warning. He gave no details, however, on the arrested suspects and did not produce evidence of the seized explosives, something that the Iraqi forces often do.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told reporters that the car bombs were intended to strike "sensitive government sites" but would not elaborate.

The rare decision to close off much of the city and the increased military presence prompted claims of a coup by callers to popular Iraqi radio phone-in shows, leading to an official denial.

Such rumours were "risible" and "without foundation," defence ministry spokesman Major General Mohammed al-Askari told reporters.

Insurgents, weakened in the past year, have in recent months changed tactics and mounted high-profile attacks on "hard" targets such as government buildings, rather than so-called soft targets in civilian areas.

Tuesday's heightened security comes ahead of a general election scheduled for March 7.

There is widespread concern, in the wake of the bloody attacks conducted in Baghdad in the second half of 2009, that political violence will rise in the weeks leading up to the vote.

The election, the second since Saddam Hussein was toppled in a US-led invasion in 2003, is seen as crucial to consolidating Iraqi democracy and securing a complete US military exit by the end of 2011, as planned.

However, 14 politicians and parties linked to executed dictator Saddam's outlawed Baath party have been barred from taking part in the poll, a move seen as a blow to efforts at national reconciliation.

The US military, meanwhile, said a joint operation conducted with security forces in Baghdad last Thursday led to the arrest of an "Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) terrorist suspected of building large-scale vehicle bombs."

"According to recent intelligence reports, AQI fighters operating in Baghdad continue planning attacks in an attempt to disrupt the political progress in Iraq," the US military said.

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