More arrests and confessions in Erbil car bombing
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region--The Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) has announced more arrests in the car bomb attack in Erbil's Ainkawa district on April 17 that left two civilians dead and wounded many others.
"The Directorate of Asayish in Erbil, in coordination with the Directorate General of Counter Terrorism, apprehended the terrorists shortly after the attack. The arrests were made based on information from the public and, in some cases, family members," the KRSC said in a statement released on Tuesday.
This suspects, who detonated a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device by remote control, are group part of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and had extensive contact with members of ISIS over the last several months, the KRSC said.
Each member of the group has confessed to their role in the attack. Four of the five individuals are residents of Erbil, and the other is an Arab resident based in Kirkuk.
The KRSC statement contined: "All the confessions were recorded and are available to the public. In the confessions each individual gives a detailed account of the planning and implementation of the attack, cites encouragement by a small number of mullahs with jihadist beliefs and confirms direct contact with ISIS."
The suspects will remain in custody, Kurdish security officials said, as the investigation into the bombing continues.
The KRSC added: "We call on the people of the Kurdistan Region to report any information on Ali Sulaiman Othman Ali to local security services."
The KRSC presented these links to the public:
Please click this link to view the video of the confessions:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/
Photo of Ali Sulaiman Othman Ali:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/