Swedish Prosecutors Investigate Iraqi Minister over Suspected Crime against Humanity

Iraqi Defense Minister Najah al-Shammari. (EPA)
Iraqi Defense Minister Najah al-Shammari. (EPA)
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Swedish Prosecutors Investigate Iraqi Minister over Suspected Crime against Humanity

Iraqi Defense Minister Najah al-Shammari. (EPA)
Iraqi Defense Minister Najah al-Shammari. (EPA)

The Swedish Prosecution Office said on Monday it had launched a preliminary investigation into suspected crimes against humanity by an Iraqi minister.

"Reports have been received of an Iraqi minister who is suspected of crimes against humanity," the office said in a statement, without identifying the minister or giving further details about the allegations.

"The National Unit for International and Organized Crime is now working to see how they should proceed with the investigation, which is at a very early stage," it said, according to Reuters.

It declined to comment further.

The minister was later identified by AFP as Defense Minister Najah al-Shammari.

An unnamed Swedish-Iraqi lawyer told Svenska Dagbladet that he had reported al-Shammari to police in October for his role in the shooting of hundreds of protesters during weeks of unrest.

The defense minister is also under investigation for benefits fraud for claiming housing and child benefits from Sweden despite living in Iraq.

Swedish social insurance agency Försäkringskassan told AFP that they were unable to confirm whether they were investigating al-Shammari as all their cases are classified.

Al-Shammari arrived in Sweden in 2009 and was granted a permanent residency in 2011 before getting his citizenship in 2015, according to Swedish newspaper Expressen.



Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Strikes Kill 15

A man carries the body of a child during the funeral of Palestinians killed overnight in Israeli attacks on a tent and on people seeking aid, according to Gaza's health ministry, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
A man carries the body of a child during the funeral of Palestinians killed overnight in Israeli attacks on a tent and on people seeking aid, according to Gaza's health ministry, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
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Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Strikes Kill 15

A man carries the body of a child during the funeral of Palestinians killed overnight in Israeli attacks on a tent and on people seeking aid, according to Gaza's health ministry, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
A man carries the body of a child during the funeral of Palestinians killed overnight in Israeli attacks on a tent and on people seeking aid, according to Gaza's health ministry, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled

Gaza's civil defense agency said Friday that overnight Israeli strikes killed at least 15 people, after nearly 21 months of war in the Palestinian territory.

Israel has recently expanded its military operations in the Gaza Strip, where the war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the territory's population of more than two million.

Gaza civil defense official Mohammad al-Mughayyir told AFP that seven people, including a child, were killed in an Israeli air strike on displaced people's tents near the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.

Mughayyir said eight more people were killed in two other strikes on tent encampments on the coast of Khan Yunis, including one that killed two children early Friday.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it could not comment on specific attacks without precise coordinates, but noted it was "operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities".

On Thursday, the agency reported that 73 people were killed in Israeli strikes.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense.

Israel's military campaign has killed at least 57,130 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.