NEW : Al-Bazi was a freelancer who worked with Reuters , CNN and Al-Arabiya , according to his cousin Mahmoud Salih , also a freelance journalist . The US Embassy described the attack as ` ` senseless and brutal '' City and provincial council members are among 56 people killed in Tikrit . Armed militants attacked a government building and took people hostage . A regular CNN reporter is among the dead .
NEW : The US Embassy described the attack as ` ` senseless and brutal '' City and provincial council members are among 56 people killed in Tikrit . Armed militants attacked a government building and took people hostage . A regular CNN reporter is among the dead .