Former agriculture official arrested over deadly assault on ministry building

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Interior Ministry on Monday announced the arrest of the former director of agriculture in Baghdad’s Karkh district, accusing him of involvement in an armed attack on a government office that left one police officer dead and at least 15 injured.

A special unit from the ministry’s intelligence agency carried out the arrest. In a statement, the ministry said the suspect played a direct role in inciting the violence at the Agriculture Directorate building on Sunday. “Legal procedures will be taken against the accused, who has been placed in detention pending referral to the judiciary,” it said, adding that security forces “will not tolerate any attempt to disrupt public order or undermine the authority of the state.”

The assault occurred during an administrative meeting at the Agriculture Directorate in Baghdad’s Dora district, when gunmen stormed the building and opened fire. Federal Police and Karkh patrol units responded, resulting in armed clashes. Federal Police officer Ghazwan Karim Salman Al-Rubaie was killed, and 15 others were injured.

According to security sources, the confrontation was sparked by a dispute between two factions affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces following the appointment of a new director. “The problem started between two groups, and when the security forces intervened, clashes broke out with one of them,” a senior source told 964media.

The Joint Operations Command later confirmed the attackers were members of the PMF’s 45th and 46th brigades.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani condemned the violence during an emergency meeting with security leaders. “No one has the right to take the place of the state or its authorities. There is no entity above the law,” he said. Al-Sudani ordered a high-level investigation and pledged to oversee the process personally.

In a related development, Baghdad Operations Command denied reports that Osama Hassan Salomi, the newly appointed director of agriculture, had been kidnapped. A senior security source told 964media that Salomi was at home in Mahmoudiyah and in good health. An official statement confirming his status was expected later Monday.

Images circulated online earlier in the day showed a blindfolded and bound man, with some posts claiming it was Salomi. However, a fact-check by 964media determined the photo dated back to 2018 and depicted a different individual who had been kidnapped in Turkey and later released.