Iraqi police arrest suspect who tried to plant bomb at security members home

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi police on Tuesday announced the arrest of a person who was placing a bomb at the house of an army member in the province of Kirkuk.

Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesperson Saad Maan said federal security units arrested the accused in the Dumiz district south of Kirkuk.

“The defendant was handed over to the investigative authorities to complete the necessary legal procedures against him,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

Maan did not mention the identity of the detainee or the organization to which he belongs.

The Iraqi Interior Ministry recently announced the arrest of two suspects, both belonging to the so-called Islamic State (IS), in two separate operations in the city of Kirkuk and its surrounding areas.

Meanwhile, an explosion in the southern Kurdistan Region area of Khanaqin on Tuesday resulted in the deaths of two women and the injury of 11 other civilians.

The blast occurred at 10 a.m. near the shrine of Bawa Mahmoud in Khanaqin, Diyala province. Shia Kurds who participate in the Arba’een religious observance, a significant event marking the end of 40 mourning days after Ashura, visit the shrine.

The police are still at the site of the incident and are working to defuse another bomb found near the area, a security source told Kurdistan 24.

Despite Iraq’s “final victory” announcement late last year following a devastating three-year war against IS, the extremist group continues to launch attacks, bombings, and assassinations in many cities.

Iraqi officials have also warned civilians to be aware of IS sleeper cells which are still active in many liberated areas.