Baghdad Operations Command arrests four in online blackmail case

2025-08-23 | 13:17

BAGHDAD — Baghdad Operations Command announced Saturday that a joint security operation in the Ghazaliya area led to the arrest of four suspects accused of online blackmail and armed threats, following a complaint from a woman.

“In the context of enforcing security and the rule of law, and after receiving information from a woman who had been subjected to digital blackmail and armed threats in Ghazaliya, a joint force immediately moved to the location, gathered information, and carried out a raid and search,” the statement from Baghdad Operations Command said.

The operation “resulted in the arrest of a gang specialized in blackmail crimes consisting of four suspects, in possession of three pistols, a Kalashnikov rifle, and a Mitsubishi pickup truck,” according to the statement.

The detainees and the seized weapons were referred to the competent authorities to complete legal procedures.

In a recent case, the Rasafa Criminal Court in Baghdad sentenced a man to six years in prison on Aug. 18, 2025, for blackmailing a woman using AI-generated images. The judiciary’s media office said the defendant created deepfake photos of the victim with artificial intelligence tools and threatened to publish them on social media if she did not pay him. The court issued the ruling under Article 430/1 of the Iraqi Penal Code, which states that anyone who threatens another with committing a felony or with exposing dishonorable matters, particularly when tied to demands or coercion, faces imprisonment of up to seven years.