Basra court sentences man to death over 2011 bombing that killed 19

BASRA — A man convicted of participating in a 2011 bombing in Basra that killed 19 people and wounded 47 others was sentenced to death on Wednesday by the Basra Criminal Court, according to the judiciary’s media office.

The court said the defendant was affiliated with Al-Qaeda and was involved in detonating an explosive device alongside two rigged motorcycles in the city’s Khamsa Mile area. The blast claimed the lives of both security personnel and civilians.

The ruling was issued under Article 4/1 in conjunction with Articles 2/1, 3, 5, and 7 of Iraq’s Anti-Terrorism Law No. 13 of 2005.

The 2011 attack occurred during a period of intensified violence by Al-Qaeda in Iraq, a group that rose to prominence after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.