Iraq foils assassination plot against top security officials

Iraq's National Security Service announced on Friday that it had successfully disrupted a major plot to assassinate its agency chief and several senior officers. Law enforcement arrested multiple suspects linked to a front group for the banned Baath Party before the planned attacks could be carried out.

The security operation was conducted under the direct supervision of the agency's chief, Abdul Karim al-Basri. According to a statement carried by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), the breakthrough followed an extensive intelligence effort that included deep surveillance, tracking, and infiltration of the group, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

Investigators identified the suspects as members of the "Iraqi National Gathering for Liberation and Change," which authorities describe as a front organization for the outlawed Baath Party. While the cell had previously engaged in online incitement and threats, intelligence officials discovered the group had transitioned into active planning—specifically assigning operational tasks, mapping out high-profile targets, and procuring weapons for the assault.

The plot aimed to assassinate a string of high-ranking security figures, including:

Abdul Karim al-Basri, Chief of the National Security Service

The official spokesman for the National Security Service

The Director of Security for Baghdad

Several other high-ranking intelligence officers

Security units uncovered the operational timeline, tracked down the individual cell members, and seized critical evidence before the plot could reach the execution stage. The National Security Service stated that further details, including the suspects' recorded confessions and explicit details of the planning process, will be made public in the coming days.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada