Iraqi court hangs two “terrorists” for car bombings

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq’s Central Criminal Court sentenced two men to death for organizing separate car bombings in Baghdad and Karbala, the Supreme Judicial Council announced on Monday.

According to a statement from the council, the court found that one defendant detonated a vehicle in al-Shurta al-Rabi’a district in 2015, killing and injuring several civilians, while the other coordinated twin car bombings in 2012 near Karbala’s Bab Baghdad area that targeted civilians, security personnel, and employees of the Imam Hussein Shrine.

The court also deemed both attacks as acts of terrorism under Iraq’s Anti-Terrorism Law No. 13 of 2005, which mandates capital punishment for crimes resulting in death.

Although executions remain controversial, the Iraqi Presidency confirmed in late 2024 that no death sentence is carried out without full judicial review, stressing that all capital cases undergo “legal scrutiny” before final approval.