Mosque preacher arrested in Diala for working with AQI

DIALA / IraqiNews.com: Security forces in Diala arrested the preacher of a mosque on charges of inciting young men to carry out suicide operations, an official security source in the province said on Friday. “Policemen conducted an operation inside the area of al-Jahiza in al-Tahreer neighborhood, Baaquba district, arresting a man called Abu Ruqayya, the imam and preacher of al-Tawba mosque,” the source told Iraqi News. “Abu Ruqayya is wanted by judicial authorities on charges of working with Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) network and instigating young men to launch suicide bombing attacks,” the source added. He said that the man is also involved in incitation of a suicide bomber who had blown himself up amidst a funerary procession in al-Jahiza on Thursday (Aug. 13). “The police managed to identify the body of the bomber, a 15-year-old intermediate student of the name Amir Mansour al-Dahlaki, who used to work for the AQI,” noted the source. Diala, until a recent time one of the hottest spots in Iraq, is home to several strongholds of female armed organizations working for hard-line Islamist groups, namely the AQI and the self-styled Islamic State of Iraq. The volatile province had witnessed more than 30 suicide bombing attacks carried out by women during the past six years. Baaquba, the capital city of Diala province, lies 57 km northeast of Baghdad. AmR (S) 1