Iraq sentences ISIS member to death for role in killing of undercover officer

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s National Security Service said Thursday it had handed over a suspect involved in the killing of undercover intelligence officer Capt. Harith al-Sudani to the judiciary, which issued a death sentence after completing the investigation.

The agency said it arrested Ahmed Sabri Rashid, who was found carrying forged official documents. Investigations showed he joined ISIS in 2008, initially transporting members and explosive devices before rising to become “a link between the group’s leadership and terrorist cells operating in Baghdad and southern Iraq,” coordinating suicide car bomb attacks targeting civilians and security forces.

Rashid was found directly involved in luring al-Sudani to the Tarmiyah area north of Baghdad under the pretense of receiving explosive materials, where he was captured and executed by the group.

Al-Sudani was one of Iraq’s most celebrated undercover officers, having infiltrated ISIS networks in Baghdad by posing as a member of the group. He gained access to ISIS cells and participated in planned operations while secretly working with security forces, enabling authorities to intercept explosive devices, monitor operatives and dismantle networks. ISIS members lured him to Tarmiyah in 2017 and executed him after discovering his identity.

Islamic State declared its self-styled caliphate in 2014, controlling large parts of Iraq and Syria before losing its territory by 2019. The group continues to operate through sleeper cells across Iraq.