Iraqi security forces carried out dawn arrest raids in Baghdad’s Green Zone on Sunday, detaining seven people on corruption charges. The operation reached one of Iraq’s most protected government districts and spread into several neighbourhoods in Baghdad.
reported that five of the seven arrested were members of parliament. A member of the Al-Azm Alliance said Muthanna al-Samarrai was detained during a raid on his residence inside Baghdad’s Green Zone, and his office manager was also arrested.
Baghdad Raids Reach Parliament
The arrests came from a Counter Terrorism Service operation built around statements tied to Adnan al-Jumaili, who was arrested last month on corruption charges. Authorities seized about $86m in cash this month in connection with that case, which widened the net around officials whose names surfaced in the confessions.
A security source told the Iraqi News Agency that members of parliament whose immunity had been lifted were among those detained. That detail shows the raids moved beyond ordinary criminal arrests and into figures whose legal protection had already been removed.
Azm Alliance and Sudani Bloc
Some of those arrested were from the political bloc of former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, reported. During November’s parliamentary elections, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s bloc won the largest share of seats, before he stepped aside amid a deadlock in the Coordination Framework.
Ali al-Zaidi has reportedly ordered a wider anticorruption crackdown and has pledged to fight corruption and mismanagement. The arrests fold into that effort, but the authorities have not issued a public statement setting out the charges for each detained official.
Green Zone Arrests
The Sunday raids left one immediate question in public view: which officials and lawmakers were arrested, and what specific corruption allegations are tied to each of them? For now, the names placed in the case include Muthanna al-Samarrai, Adnan al-Jumaili, and the group of parliament members reported detained in Baghdad.
Readers following the case should watch for whether authorities publish a charge breakdown or whether more names emerge from the arrest files. Until then, the Green Zone raids stand as the clearest sign that the anticorruption crackdown has moved from broad pledge to targeted detention.
