Basra court hands death sentence to defendant in army officer's killing

BASRA, Iraq — A Basra felony court has sentenced a man to death for killing a military officer in the southern Iraqi city. The court ruled that the defendant had shot dead Captain Hussein Asad Abu Risha on May 31, 2026, near the officer's home in an attack by unidentified gunmen, finding him guilty on charges of undermining security and terrorism-related offenses. The verdict was issued under Article 4, Clause 1 and Article 2, Clauses 1 and 3 of Iraq's 2005 Anti-Terrorism Law, No. 13, according to the court's published reasoning. Abu Risha had been serving as a lieutenant colonel in the Basra Directorate for Combatting Crime at the time of the killing. Following the attack, Interior Ministry Undersecretary Hussein Awadi ordered the formation of a special investigation team and stressed that the perpetrators had to be apprehended and brought before the courts. Security sources later said the suspects were captured while attempting to leave the country.