Iraqi court announces arrest of ISIS members for setting Kirkuk crop fires
The Kharkh Criminal Court in Baghdad on Thursday announced the arrest of multiple Islamic State members accused of starting crop fires that have burned at least 200,000 acres of farmland in the province of Kirkuk in recent months.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kharkh Criminal Court in Baghdad on Thursday announced the arrest of multiple Islamic State members accused of starting crop fires that have burned at least 200,000 acres of farmland in the province of Kirkuk in recent months.
Judge Abdul Sattar al-Birqdar, the spokesperson for the Supreme Judicial Council, told local media, “The criminal court is investigating three suspects from the Islamic State jihadist group who were instructed to burn down agricultural fields in Kirkuk.”
Birqdar added, “The suspects confirmed in a confession that they were behind the recent wave of field fires in Kirkuk and its surroundings using sulfur” with another chemical added, “to delay the combustion, as a timer mechanism.”
“This was thrown on dry portions of the farmland to ignite afterword.”
After a court order was issued for the suspects' arrest for setting the fires as well as other unspecified crimes, said Birqdar, Iraqi forces were dispatched to arrest them.
He also added that the court took the necessary steps to record the confessions to be used in their upcoming prosecution.
The Islamic State has repeatedly claimed responsibility for the recent fires which have destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland across much of Iraq and Syria.
Editing by John J. Catherine