Hashd al-Shaabi takes custody of Abu Jaafar and three others in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said Monday that a senior member of the paramilitary group and three others had been taken into PMF custody the same day, ending a period of confusion over their detention. Munend Akabi, the head of the PMF's media directorate, said in a Facebook post that the individuals had been handed over to the organization's security unit. He added that their files would be referred to the Iraqi judiciary. Earlier the same morning, a security source told reporters that Abu Jaafar, described as a member of the PMF General Staff Office, had been detained at his home in Baghdad along with three other PMF members in a district east of the capital. No further details on the reasons for the detention were immediately available.