Iraqi Interior Ministry says suspect arrested in killing of police officer in Basra

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Interior Ministry said a suspect has been arrested in connection with the killing of a police officer in Basra. The ministry said the operation was carried out by a joint task force under the direct supervision of the ministry's undersecretary and coordinated by a deputy minister, drawing on units attached to the ministry. The victim was identified as Captain Hussein Asad Abu Risha, assigned to the Basra Crime Combat Unit. According to the ministry, an investigation involving intelligence work and technical analysis was launched after his death, and security camera footage and cross-checked evidence led investigators to identify the main suspect with a high degree of certainty before his detention. The ministry said the suspect confessed in his initial and judicial statements, and that a subsequent reconstruction of the scene was fully consistent with the confession. Two armored vehicles, several weapons and two hand grenades were seized during the operation, it added. The Interior Ministry said the investigation remains ongoing and that further details would be released in the coming days.