Iraq’s security media unit, which spread the news about the disappearance of the assassin of Iraqi political expert Hisham al-Hashemi, denied the news in full and in detail on Saturday.

“The Ministry of Justice has announced the disappearance of the man accused of killing security expert Hisham al-Hashemi,” the cell said, adding that a report circulating on some social media sites was untrue.

Also, “The accused is still detained in one of the detention centers and has not been transferred first to the correctional institutions of the Ministry of Justice to complete the investigation procedures related to the alleged crime. As reported by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), he recommended to the competent court to get him a fair sentence.”

A copy of a book published by Justice Minister Khaled Shawani and a copy sent to Representative Nida al-Quraiti’s office were circulated on social media sites and identified as Ahmed al-Khinani, the alleged killer of al-I. Hashimi is not in Iraqi prisons affiliated with the ministry.

The book’s image spread on social media, sparking widespread anger among Iraqis amid questions about the killer’s fate, especially since mystery still surrounds the crime even after the competent court postponed its review six times. Period.

A crime that rocked Iraq

It is noteworthy that prominent Iraqi expert Hisham al-Hashemi was assassinated in June 2020 in front of his home in the district of Jayona, east of Baghdad.

Pending the investigation of the killer, Iraqi security forces named him on July 15, 2021 as Ahmad Hamdawi Awaid al-Qinani, along with a group of 4 who committed the crime.

The trial was adjourned about 6 times, while the accused confessed to killing Al-Hashemi, a police officer with the rank of first lieutenant, after the trial of his crime.

He admitted in a televised recording that he fired four or five bullets at Al-Hashimi from his government pistol.

Although Iraqi officials have not announced the party behind the assassination, they said al-Qinani belonged to an illegal party.

The killing of al-Hashemi (age 47), whose assassination was captured on surveillance camera with multiple gunshots, created an atmosphere of intimidation and fear among Iraqi activists at the time.

This caused great shock among Iraqis, especially since the deceased had tweeted on his Twitter account an hour before his assassination, in which he spoke about the situation in the country.

Al-Hashemi is considered one of the most important researchers in the field of security and politics in Iraq, and he is a security expert recognized by Arab and foreign media and many universities and research institutes in the world.

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