An Iraqi man was arrested in Belgium on charges of war crimes and deadly bombings near Baghdad
Mustafa Yousef Al-Qashlan 🇪🇬
In a notable security development highlighting the growing threat of transnational extremist networks, Belgian authorities announced the arrest of an Iraqi man who has been living in the country since 2015, on suspicion of involvement in war crimes and deadly terrorist attacks that took place near the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, more than a decade ago, resulting in the deaths of nearly 400 people and injuries to thousands.
Belgian media reported on Friday that security forces arrested the suspect, who is over 40 years old, in a city in the Flemish region, following a search of his home last Wednesday. They explained that the investigating judge charged him with a series of offenses, including murder with terrorist intent, membership in a terrorist organization, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, before issuing a formal arrest warrant.
Investigations indicate that the accused was an active member of a terrorist cell linked to al-Qaeda, and is believed to have played a key role in a series of bombing attacks that took place in 2009 and 2010 near Baghdad, which killed at least 376 people and injured about 2,300, according to Belgian public prosecutor's data.
A Chechen cell affiliated with ISIS was dismantled in Belgium.
The revelation of the Iraqi man's arrest coincided with another announcement regarding the thwarting of a terrorist plot inside Belgium, where security services carried out extensive raids in the north of the country on Thursday, resulting in the arrest of seven people of Chechen origin suspected of belonging to ISIS.
According to the Brussels public prosecutor's office, the group was searching for weapons and is believed to have been preparing to carry out attacks, though their targets have not yet been finalized. They are scheduled to appear before an investigating judge to face charges related to planning murders, forming a terrorist cell, and preparing acts of violence within Belgium.
Units from the security, intelligence and special forces participated in the operation, after monitoring the movements of the suspects for weeks.
Belgium has continued to strengthen its security capabilities since the terrorist attacks that struck the capital, Brussels, in March 2016, targeting the capital's airport and a metro train station, killing 32 people and injuring more than 300 others.
With these new developments, concerns about the activity of extremist networks have resurfaced, amid assurances that international and intelligence cooperation is now essential to confront threats that transcend geographical boundaries.
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