Safaa al-Mashhadani's killing reclassified as terror
Shafaq News – Baghdad
The judiciary has agreed to reclassify the case of Baghdad Provincial Council member Safaa al-Mashhadani, who was killed in a car bombing north of the Iraqi capital, as a “terrorist act” rather than a criminal offense.
Hussein Yassin al-Mashhadani, the victim’s father, told Shafaq News that he had demanded the change during a protest outside the Karkh Court in Baghdad, explaining that verdicts in terrorism cases “are binding and not subject to tribal or social settlements, and carry severe prison sentences that must be executed.”
Al-Mashhadani said he has not yet been briefed on the investigation’s progress but was informed that two of the five suspects arrested are believed to be the main perpetrators. “According to what I know, the killers acted on behalf of a group that viewed Safaa as an obstacle—especially after he organized an electoral gathering shortly before his death that revealed his strong local support, angering his rivals,” he said.
“I hope to impose a punishment equal to their crime swiftly.”
Safaa Al-Mashhadani, a member of the Sovereignty (Al-Siyada) Alliance, was killed on October 15 when an explosive device attached to his vehicle detonated in Tarmiyah district, north of Baghdad, killing him and two aides, according to security officials.
A week later, the Interior Ministry arrested five suspects, with others still under investigation.
On October 23, the First Karkh Investigation Court said it had begun questioning two suspects who confessed to carrying out the attack, confirming their involvement through forensic evidence and surveillance footage.
Read more: Iraq’s Sovereignty Alliance candidate killed: What we know?
