Baghdad court releases three suspects in high-profile Kurdistan Region market arson cases

NEWSROOM — The Rusafa Court in Baghdad ordered the release of three men on Tuesday who were detained on charges of involvement in arson incidents targeting markets in Erbil, Kirkuk, and Duhok between late 2023 and early 2024. The court cited insufficient evidence to proceed with the case.

An official document from the Rusafa Court stated that the evidence against the accused—Hunar Fakhreddin, Mohammed Nejat, and Sirwan Hussein—was inadequate, leading to their release.

The suspects were originally arrested in connection with a series of fires that affected key markets, including the Qaisari and Langa markets in Erbil, Kirkuk’s central market, and the Chale Bazaar in Duhok.

On July 1, 2024, Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Government interior ministry officials held a joint press conference in Baghdad announcing the arrests. Authorities at the time alleged that the fires were linked to a group associated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. Two additional suspects were reported to have connections with the security forces in Sulaymaniyah.

The PKK denied these allegations, calling them “baseless”. The group called for the true perpetrators to be identified and accused Turkish intelligence services of orchestrating the fires.

An ultranationalist Turkish group had earlier claimed responsibility for fires in Erbil and Kirkuk, asserting that cities like Mosul, Kirkuk, Aleppo, and Erbil are historically part of Turkey and expressing support for Turkish military actions in northern Iraq and Syria.

The fires caused extensive damage across the region. In Erbil, a Feb. 27 blaze at Langa Market destroyed 185 shops, with estimated losses of 6.75 billion Iraqi dinars ($5.15 million). Two additional fires in April and May caused millions of dollars in damages, affecting hundreds of shops at Langa Market and Qaysari Bazaar. Similarly, the Chale Bazaar fire in Duhok on April 1 destroyed 137 shops, leading to significant economic losses.