ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi Interior Ministry announced on Sunday the arrest of five suspects accused of involvement in the mob killing of a teen over the weekend in Baghdad's Wathba square.
The suspects were arrested upon court-issued arrest warrants, Interor Ministry spokesperson Brigadier Khaled al-Mahna told Iraqi News Agency (INA).
"The Ministry of the Interior will continue its investigations into the crime in order to find all the perpetrators," INA quoted al-Mahna as saying.
Gruesome images emerged on social media on Thursday of an individual named by his family as Haytham Ali Ismael being strung up from a set of traffic lights in Baghdad’s Wathba Square, where protesters have been camped out for several weeks.
Al-Manha described the killing as a "terrorist act."
The incident has been universally condemned by protesters, who have been out on the streets since October 1 demanding jobs, public services, and an end to corruption.
It was alleged that Ismael had fired on protesters from a rooftop, killing at least five, before being grabbed by the mob.
Relatives of the slain teen insist he did not shoot at protesters.
“The thing is he went out, told them that they should leave because they have girls at home, that it is inappropriate [for them to continue camping in front of his house],” Ismael’s aunt told Rudaw.
“He told them that they are protesters, that they should be protesting in Tahrir Square, not near families,” she added.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) condemned Thursday’s violence.
“Events in Wathba square another absolute low. Violence, abductions and barbarism must stop. Call on security forces to ensure full protection of peaceful demonstrators. Perpetrators must be brought to justice,” UNAMI tweeted.
In a Friday sermon, read by his representative Sayid Ahmed al-Safi, Iraq’s highest Shiite religious authority Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urged protesters to remain peaceful and denounced the gruesome incident.
“As we denounce strongly the killings, kidnappings, and all types of assault [against protesters], including the disgusting, horrendous crime that occurred yesterday in Wathba area, we call on the relevant authorities to shoulder responsibility and reveal those who committed these sinful crimes and hold them to account,” Sistani said.
Since October 1, Iraq’s Shiite majority central and southern provinces have been rocked by mass protests against corruption, unemployment, and the lack of basic public services.
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