Body of ex-Iraqi MP arrives in Baghdad as investigators probe death in Beirut

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The body of former Iraqi MP Ahmed Al Alwani arrived in Baghdad on Saturday amid investigations into his killing in Beirut last week.Mr Al Alwani, 57, a prominent Sunni politician…

The body of former Iraqi MP Ahmed Al Alwani arrived in Baghdad on Saturday amid investigations into his killing in Beirut last week.

Mr Al Alwani, 57, a prominent Sunni politician and former member of parliament from the western Anbar province, was found dead in an apartment in Beirut's Tariq Al Jdideh district, days after arriving in Lebanon from Iraq's Kurdistan region.

Initial findings indicated that he had been struck on the head and strangled. Lebanese authorities have yet to establish a motive for the killing.

Videos on social media showed Mr Al Alwani's coffin, wrapped in the Iraqi flag, arriving at Baghdad International Airport. His body was welcomed by his family members, as well as Sunni political leaders and other mourners.

People also gathered in his hometown to catch a final glimpse of the coffin. Some people were seen weeping, while others held up the Iraqi flag.

Lebanon's prosecutor general, Judge Ahmad Rami Al Hajj, had authorised the release of the body to the Iraqi embassy in Beirut at the request of Mr Al Alwani's family. The handover followed the completion of medical and forensic examinations, the embassy said in a statement.

Mr Al Alwani's identity was confirmed through comparing DNA samples from the body with those from his son, as well as a scan of the remains, the statement added. It said a copy of the forensic medical report would be provided to his family.

Iraqi and Lebanese authorities are continuing to co-ordinate on the investigation, said Iraq's Ambassador in Beirut, Mohammed Ridha Al Husseini.

The case has triggered widespread attention in Iraq, where Mr Al Alwani was a well-known figure in anti-government Sunni protests in 2012 and 2013. He was arrested in late 2013, sentenced to death on terrorism-related charges the following year, and released in 2025 after spending more than a decade in prison.

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