Iraq captures mastermind of 2016 Islamic State terror attack that killed hundreds
Iraq arrested the man behind the infamous 2016 bomb attack in a Baghdad shopping center that left nearly 350 people dead and 250 injured.
BAGHDAD — Al-Qaeda militant Ghazwan al-Zawbaee, who carried out attacks throughout Iraq on behalf of the Islamic State (IS), was captured by Iraqi security forces.
In a tweet, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi confirmed Ghazwan’s capture: "Five years after the terrorist bombing of Karrada, our brave forces succeeded in capturing the terrorist Ghazwan [al-]Zawbaee in a complex intelligence operation outside the country. He is the primary culprit behind the Karrada atrocity and many others.”
The young IS militant, alongside suicide bomber Abu Maha al-Iraqi, coordinated a suicide truck packed with explosives to target late-night shoppers in the Karrada district during Ramadan in 2016. The bombing was one of the deadliest attacks in the world since 9/11 and left at least 346 dead.
IS later took credit for the bombing while it controlled large swaths of Iraqi and Syrian territory. At the time, IS was losing battles to Iraqi security forces who were liberating Fallujah. Many viewed the Karrada bombing by the jihadist group as retribution and an attempt to divert attention from Iraq’s victory in Fallujah.
