Reports of plot against chief justice under review, government spox says

BAGHDAD — Reports of a plot to target Supreme Judicial Council President Faiq Zaidan are being examined, the government spokesperson said, adding that authorities had detected earlier indications of threats to senior state figures without making them public.

“The matter is under review, but in terms of its impact, it is not new,” Haider al-Aboudi told Al-Iraqiya. “There had been previous indications of targeting some important figures in the Iraqi state scene.” Authorities did not announce those earlier indications, he said, because “the matter does not serve the public interest, and we are not permitted to announce the remaining details.”

Reports citing Iraqi security sources circulated on Monday saying that security and intelligence bodies were examining a possible plot to assassinate Zaidan, that the threat was regarded as serious and linked to an unnamed armed faction, and that additional protective measures had been taken. 964media has not independently verified those reports.