The petrol bomb was thrown at the embassy at around 2:40 amSunday) hitting an exterior wall of the compound but causing no significant damage, the spokesman said.

"A man was arrested Monday and is being questioned in connection with the incident to decide whether a remand order is needed from the court," he said.

Police said the man being questioned was aged between 26 and 30.

The imposing US embassy building on a busy road out of the capital has been the focus of repeated protests amid widespread opposition here to the US-led war on Iraq.

"There were no injuries to embassy personnel or damage to embassy property and we thank the police for its effective response," an embassy spokesman told

Concrete barriers separate the road from the fortress-like compound and during protest rallies barbed-wire cordons force demonstrators to gather in an open space on the other side of the highway.

WAR.WIRE