Suspect arrested following acid attack on young woman in Baghdad

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s National Security Service announced Monday that it had uncovered the details behind a recent acid attack on a young woman in Baghdad, arresting the primary suspect and identifying others allegedly involved in planning and incitement.

The service said in a statement, that it had “managed to dismantle the threads of the acid burning incident that stirred public opinion in Baghdad and arrested the main suspect in the attack on one of the girls.”

The investigation led authorities to track the course of the crime and identify the perpetrator, who was apprehended in the act during an unrelated drug case. This allowed security forces to expand their inquiry and uncover the circumstances of the attack.

“The suspect confessed to carrying out the assault for financial gain, and with the incitement and planning of another individual, as part of an organized criminal act aimed at deliberately causing physical harm to the victim,” the statement said.

The agency added that “the execution method relied on a sudden and swift assault, targeting the victim near her vehicle before fleeing the scene, in an attempt to mislead security agencies and conceal evidence. However, continuous intelligence monitoring prevented the perpetrators from escaping justice.”

The announcement comes as authorities across Iraq confront rising reports of acid attacks. In late November, Karkh Police Command said it arrested three suspects accused of throwing acid on a woman driving in Baghdad.

On Feb. 23, 2025, media presenter Noor al-Khafaji was attacked with acid in Baghdad’s Karrada district. The Iraqi Women Journalists Forum said the assault “reflects rising violence against women in general and female journalists in particular in Iraq,” calling it “a blatant violation of human rights.”