The emblem of Iraq’s Ministry of Interior
Iraq receives murder suspect from Iran after joint police operation
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Ministry of Interior announced Wednesday that it has received a suspect wanted for the killing of a currency exchange owner in Babil Governorate, following his arrest inside Iran and coordination between Iraqi and Iranian police through Interpol.
“Under the direct supervision of Minister of Interior Abdul Amir Al-Shammari, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior received from the Iranian side a suspect wanted for the murder of a citizen from Babil, after intensive coordination efforts between the Iraqi and Iranian sides,” the ministry said in a statement.
According to the statement, the suspect “recently killed the owner of a currency exchange in Babil, then fled to the Islamic Republic of Iran in an attempt to escape justice.”
The ministry said Iraqi authorities, working with Iran’s general police command, “closely tracked the suspect, identified his location, and arrested him inside Iranian territory before officially handing him over to Iraqi authorities in accordance with legal and diplomatic frameworks.”
The Interior Ministry expressed “its deep appreciation to the general command of police in the Islamic Republic of Iran for its great cooperation and sincere efforts in completing this task, which reflects the depth of security and police relations between the two neighboring countries.”
It added that the ministry “will continue pursuing all wanted individuals wherever they are and will strengthen international security cooperation to ensure accountability for anyone who threatens citizens’ safety and social stability.”
In recent months, Iraqi authorities have carried out several extraditions of fugitives and convicted officials. In September, Iraq’s Federal Commission of Integrity said it recovered a former municipal official from Oman, 12 years after he fled following his conviction for neglect and dereliction of duty.
In July, the Commission announced the extradition of a former Ministry of Trade employee convicted in absentia of falsifying laboratory test certificates for wheat and rice. The fugitive, Salah Mahdi Dahla, had been sentenced to 14 years in prison for manipulating grain quality reports.
That same month, authorities announced the extradition of a suspected Islamic State member from Germany, identifying him as Ali Mohammed Abdulrahman Al-Kilani, accused of involvement in the 2014 Speicher massacre and of previously escaping from a prison in Salah al-Din Governorate.