Owner of Hamdaniya event hall arrested in connection with tragic fire

ERBIL, September 27 — The Security Council of Kurdistan Region, known as “Asayish,” announced on Wednesday the arrest of the owner of the “”Haitham” event hall in the Hamdaniya district. The arrest is related to a judicial summons on charges of violating safety procedures and causing the deaths of dozens of civilians during a fire at the hall during a wedding ceremony on Tuesday.

A statement from the Kurdistan Security Council, as translated by Network 964, reads:

“After the tragic incident last night at an event hall in the Hamdaniya district of Nineve province, which resulted in the loss of hundreds of citizens’ lives, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior ordered the arrest of several individuals, including the owner of the hall, Mr. Samir Suleiman Kromi Refo Iso.

Following the arrest order, our institutions in the Security Council of Kurdistan Region in Erbil acted today, Wednesday, September 27, 2023, and, as per the judge’s order, apprehended the owner of the hall, who was subsequently handed over to the Ministry of Interior of the Iraqi federal government.”