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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A suspected member of the Islamic State (ISIS) has been arrested by security forces in Erbil after planning to carry out an attack against the counterterrorism headquarters in the city, according to a statement from the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC).
Sabhan Abdulsalam, 51, from Nineveh province, was planning an attack on the counterterrorism directorate's building - which is affiliated to the KRSC - in Erbil as directed by ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, the statement said.
The council also released video footage of an alleged confession from the suspect. It is not clear when he was arrested.
“I joined Islamic State’s Nineveh vilayet [ISIS term for province] in 2014. I was employed at the development and industry board as well as in the explosions section. I was working in the Islamic State ranks until Mosul was liberated. Then, I moved to Kirkuk and stayed there for a while. Later, I came to Erbil,” said Abdulsalam in the video released by the KRSC.
He said he then called his brother in Turkey “to rejoin the Islamic State,” before being called by someone asking for footage of the headquarters “in order to free the prisoners under the order of the Caliph.” He sent the footage and was awaiting money and explosives when he was arrested, he added.
The KRSC also released the voice recording of a person they claimed to be ISIS spokesperson Abu Hamza al-Qurashi, purportedly asking ISIS fighters to free the group’s prisoners in Iraq and Syria.
ISIS controlled swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014 but it was territorially defeated in 2017 and 2019 respectively. However, the militants continue to carry out bombings, hit-and run attacks and abductions on both sides of the border, particularly in areas disputed by Erbil and Baghdad.
Several ISIS suspects have recently been arrested across the Kurdistan Region, including in Erbil.
“We ensure the people of Kurdistan that the Kurdistan Counterterrorism Directorate and the security forces will always be vigilant and ready to protect your properties and lives,” the council added.
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