Tension simmers in Baghdad as prominent PMF leader arrested
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iraqi security forces arrested a prominent leader from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF or al- Hashd al-Shaabi) at dawn on Wednesday on terrorism-related charges, Iraq’s Security Media Cell said, an unprecedented step the day after deadly protests took place in the capital, calling on the killers of activists to be revealed.
In a statement, the cell said that Qassem Mahmoud Karim Musleh was arrested on the basis of an arrest warrant and a judicial investigation in accordance with Article 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Law.
The statement did not provide information on the exact allegations, stating that he is being investigated for "the criminal charges against him."
Musleh, the leader of PMF operations in Anbar, has been accused of being linked to the killing of prominent activists Fahim al-Taie and Ihab al-Wazni in Karbala. A top official confirmed the claim to AFP, the news agency reported on Wednesday.
In a televised interview with al-Hurra on Wednesday, Wazni’s mother said that Musleh threatened to kill her son multiple times.
“Musleh once told my son, if there is only one day left in my life; I will use it to kill you,” Samiah al-Wazni said.
“Musleh has killed my son, as he kept threatening him for months by sending vehicles and motorcycles to follow Ihab to scare him,” she added.
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi confirmed the arrest was made under Article 4 of the anti-terror law, and that an investigation committee consisting of the Joint Operations Command, interior and military intelligence, national security and PMF security are looking into the case.
"The armed manifestations that were held by armed groups are a serious violation of the Iraqi constitution and the laws in force, and we have ordered an immediate investigation into these movements according to the law," read a statement shared by Iraq's Security Media Cell.
The PMF was formed by a fatwa from Iraq’s highest Shiite authority in 2014, to fight against the Islamic State (ISIS). Certain Iran-backed factions of the PMF are accused of killing protesters and activists across the central and southern provinces.
The arrest comes just a day after two people were killed in a mass demonstration in Baghdad, with protesters calling for the killers of activists, more than 30 of whom have been assassinated since October 2019, to be revealed.
According to a copy of judicial memorandum obtained by Rudaw, the arrest was carried out by the anti-corruption committee led by Ahmed Abu Ragheef, a senior intelligence and investigations officer in the Ministry of Interior.
Following the arrest, Baghdad’s Green Zone, home to government offices and foreign missions, was completely shut down due to threats from pro-Iranian factions, calling on Kadhimi to release Musleh and hand over Abu Ragheef to the PMF.
Semi-official Telegram channels affiliated with PMF militias published pictures and video clips of PMF militiamen deployed to the Green Zone, including photos of militiamen surrounding the PM’s office.
"The charges attached to Hajj al-Qaied are malicious.. he will be released in the coming hours, and the commission will deter those who try to mix up the papers and violate the legal contexts,” read a statement from the PMF.
The head of the United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI) spoke out about Musleh's arrest, saying "nobody is above the law."
"Any arrest case should run its course, as goes for any Iraqi. And surely, nobody should resort to a show of force to get their way. Such behaviour weakens the Iraqi state and further erodes public trust," she tweeted.
Updated at 9:48pm