Baghdad Intelligence Operation Arrests Senior Islamic State Explosives Maker, Officials Say
The Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) reported on Tuesday the detention of a senior Islamic State (IS) group explosives specialist after a months-long pursuit, saying his capture significantly weakens the group’s remaining attack cells. The announcement came in an INSS statement circulated through the state-run Iraqi News Agency.
According to the statement, intelligence teams monitored the suspect for roughly 10 months while he was based in a neighboring country, then moved to arrest him once he crossed back into Iraq. INSS identified him by his aliases “Abu Aliya” and “Abu Mustafa” and described him as “one of the most dangerous bombing experts.”
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Iraqi authorities noted that the man’s record with terrorist groups stretches back to 2004 in Baghdad, when he joined al-Qaida’s local network and shifted into a specialist role making improvised explosive devices. The statement reported he led a five-member cell that supplied or delivered more than 100 devices or components used in attacks across several parts of the capital.
INSS further accused him of helping develop “double-bombings,” in which a first explosion is followed by a second blast targeting security forces and medical teams rushing to the scene. After IS’s territorial collapse in Iraq, he allegedly fled abroad for years before returning and being caught, a result that INSS presented as evidence of its continued campaign to dismantle IS networks.
