Asayish captures fugitive after escape from Baghdad prison

Shafaq News/ The Erbil Security Directorate (Asayish) announced, on Friday, the capture of a fugitive who had escaped from a Baghdad prison.

The directorate stated, "Under the order of the Erbil Asayish Investigation Judge, our forces successfully apprehended the fugitive (A.S.A) before he could escape Erbil again, this time disguised in women's clothing."

The statement highlighted the high-level coordination with the Ministry of Interior of the Kurdistan Region to arrest the fugitive. He had escaped from a Baghdad prison through an arrangement with a police officer in the capital, who aided his escape during a court transfer.

“The fugitive had been arrested in Baghdad on charges of money laundering, involving an estimated 35 billion Iraqi dinars (approximately $26M), and forging bank checks. Multiple arrest warrants had previously been issued against him."

A source from the Rusafa Police in Baghdad reported last Saturday that a police officer was arrested for aiding in the escape of a detainee en route to court for trial on the charges against him.

The source told Shafaq News Agency that "a security force had detained the officer, Major Ali Warid, and a police official who assisted in the detainee's escape while he was being transported to a court in the Nahrawan area."

The source added that the officer's wife was also arrested, with fake documents and IDs in her possession bearing the names of the officer and his wife, falsely linked to the Prime Minister's Office and Parliament.