Former Baghdad agriculture director sentenced to death for coordinating deadly raid
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Central Criminal Court on Tuesday sentenced former Baghdad Agriculture Director Kadhim Ali to death after finding he led an armed raid on the directorate last summer following his dismissal, an attack that left a police officer and a civilian dead and wounded others.
The Supreme Judicial Council said Ali stormed the Baghdad Agriculture Directorate “with an armed group and clashed with security forces after a decision was issued to dismiss him from his position and appoint another director in his place.” The ruling was issued under Article 4/1, in reference to Article 2/1/3/5 of the Anti-Terrorism Law No. 13 of 2005.
The July 27 assault unfolded during an administrative meeting at the directorate in Baghdad’s Dora district, when gunmen armed with rifles entered the building and opened fire. At least 15 police were injured, and Federal Police officer Ghazwan Karim Salman Al-Rubaie was killed. A civilian also died during the attack.
Security forces later arrested 14 people. After verifying identities, the Joint Operations Command said the assailants belonged to the Popular Mobilization Forces’ 45th and 46th brigades. A senior security source told 964media at the time that the confrontation stemmed from a dispute between armed factions following the appointment of a new director.
The attack prompted a high-level investigation ordered by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, who said, “No one has the right to take the place of the state or its authorities. There is no entity above the law.” Days later, Kataib Hezbollah accused the prime minister of setting a “malicious trap,” claiming its fighters were “lured” into the confrontation. The U.S. Embassy publicly blamed Kataib Hezbollah and called for accountability.
On Aug. 10, the government released its findings, identifying members of Kataib Hezbollah, affiliated with the PMF’s 45th and 46th brigades, as responsible. Government spokesperson Sabah Al-Numan said the force entered the building “in violation of the law” and used weapons “without orders or authorizations.” The investigation also found that Ali had coordinated with the armed group and was linked to “impersonation, forgery and falsification of contracts” in connection with attempts to seize agricultural land.
