Anbar police arrest suspected practitioner of sorcery and fortune-telling

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Police in Iraq's western Anbar province arrested a man accused of practicing sorcery and fortune-telling in the provincial capital, the Anbar Police Command said on Tuesday. According to the command, the arrest was carried out under the direct supervision of Anbar Police Director Major General Abdulhakim Azimi. Officers from the Fallujah Crimes Against Persons Branch, supported by units in eastern Anbar, detained the identified suspect in an operation following an investigation and intelligence work. The police said materials and tools used in sorcery and fortune-telling were seized from the suspect in accordance with the law. The man was taken into custody under Article 456 of the Iraqi Penal Code, and legal proceedings have been opened against him, with the case referred to the judiciary. The Anbar Police Command added that efforts to combat sorcery and fortune-telling practices would continue.