Skip to main content
Iraq

Baghdad prison mutiny leaves 14 dead

Fourteen people have been killed in a mutiny in a Baghdad jail. It erupted after the alleged mastermind of last year's Baghdad church siege grabbed a police officer's gun and freed other inmates.

Reuters/Mohammed Ameen
Advertising

Four police and 10 inmates are reported to have died at the interior ministry detention facility in Baghdad.

Brigadier General Moayed al-Saleh, the head of counter-terrorism for Baghdad's central Karrada district, was killed along with a lieutenant-colonel and a first lieutenant, a senior counter-terrorism official told news wires.

Huthaifa al-Batawi, who is accused of planning the Baghdad church attack and of heading al-Qaeda's front group in the city, grabbed the first lieutenant’s gun while being interrogated over possible attacks after the killing of Osama bin Laden.

He shot the officer dead, before taking hostages and releasing a group of fellow inmates.

The detainees made their way to Saleh's office and shot him in the head. They then discovered a cache of weapons and grenades, and after killing the lieutenant-colonel five of them attempted to break out of the prison by getting into a police vehicle.

Security reinforcements arrived and killed the group trying to escape, including Batawi, the counter-terrorism official said.

The remaining five holed up inside the prison and the mutiny did not end until that group was killed at 4.30 am (0130 GMT) on Sunday.

Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning

Keep up to date with international news by downloading the RFI app

Share :
Page not found

The content you requested does not exist or is not available anymore.