Iraq’s National Security Service announced that former government officials had been freed from their kidnappers in Baghdad and that 8 suspects had been arrested for involvement in the kidnapping and other crimes, during a 48-hour security operation based on intelligence and field surveillance.
Weapons and forged documents found
In a statement, the agency said the forces carrying out the operation had found weapons, ammunition and forged documents at the site where the former officials were held, saying they belonged to an illegal armed group. It added that information held by the agency showed the arrested suspects had criminal records. According to details of the operation, the suspects used a motorbike with forged registration plates to carry out the kidnapping before moving the victims between several locations.
Investigations and subsequent security monitoring led to the identification of locations linked to the case and the seizure of additional materials and weapons. The National Security Service said the investigations had uncovered a weapons and ammunition depot inside a place of worship. According to the statement, the depot contained heavy and medium weapons, launchers, explosive devices, hand grenades and sniper weapons, as well as 225 kilograms of explosives.
The agency did not disclose the names of the freed officials or the positions they had held in state institutions. Nor did it name the armed group to which it said the suspects belonged, describing it only as an illegal armed group, while noting that those arrested were linked to other crimes in addition to the kidnapping.
