Group planned human sacrifice in Wasit
Iraqi National Security arrests extremist group members in Ashura procession
WASIT – The Iraqi National Security Service arrested four young men from the extremist Shia group “Al-Alaahiyah,” also known as “Al-Qurban,” during an Ashura procession in the Numaniyah district of Wasit governorate on Wednesday. The group had planned to kill one of their members as a sacrifice to God.
Al-Alaahiyah, which promotes extreme ideas and rituals including suicide during religious events, believes in the divinity of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, a belief considered heretical by mainstream Shia Islam. Imam Ali was the cousin of prophet Mohammed and the fourth of Rashidun caliphs and the first Shia Imam.
A National Security Service source told 964media, “We had precise information regarding the potential criminal activity of this group, and there was high-level security and intelligence coordination.”
The four arrested men, born between 2004 and 2008, participated in the mourning procession and were identified by banners bearing the images of group’s leader. They confessed to their planned sacrificial killing during interrogation.
The emergence of Al-Alaahiyah has raised concerns among Iraqi religious leaders and security forces, who accuse the group of deviating from accepted religious practices and threatening social cohesion.
In May 2023, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced the arrest of four members of the group in the Souq Al-Shuyukh district of Dhi Qar governorate, describing the group as “deviant” and “outlawed.” The ministry emphasized its commitment to maintaining security and stability and achieving social peace.
Last month, security forces in Dhi Qar arrested nine individuals belonging to Al-Alaahiyah, following the arrest of their leader in Diwaniyah on charges of killing two people as sacrifices to God.