Erbil security forces arrest main suspect in Mosul bombing

Erbil Security Directorate said the detainee was responsible for a bombing in Mosul on May 4.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Security forces in the Kurdistan Region’s capital have arrested a suspect responsible for an attack on a community center in Iraq’s Mosul province, Erbil’s Security Directorate said on Thursday.

A statement by the security directorate said the detainee was responsible for a bombing in Mosul on May 4, 2019.

The suspect had attached an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) to a motorcycle in front of the Mosul Education Community Center, injuring two individuals, the directorate added. The suspect confessed to the crime upon interrogation, it noted.

Shortly after the explosion, Iraqi security forces had arrested a suspect who they claimed was the bomber. However, the individual was released after he did not match the witness description.

Meanwhile, after an investigation, the Erbil Security Directorate was able to identify the culprit, Ahmed Mohammed Mehdy Salih, and uncover his whereabouts before making an arrest on Thursday.

The suspect is now held in custody in Erbil while the autonomous Kurdish region’s security forces coordinate with the Iraqi federal judiciary to transfer the prisoner so he can answer for his crimes.

Iraq declared victory against the self-proclaimed Islamic State in December 2017, but attacks by the terror group’s sleeper cells and sympathizers continue. Moreover, IED and armed attacks with no ties to the Islamic State are also taking place inside the city.

Some have expressed concerns the city of Mosul, that was destroyed in the years-long war against the Islamic State, would turn into a battleground for people who want to settle old scores and disputes, paving the ground for further conflict.  

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany