Lebanon identifies Syrian suspects in ex-Iraqi MP’s killing, seeks extradition from Damascus

Lebanese authorities have requested their Syrian counterparts to arrest and extradite two Syrian nationals suspected of involvement in the murder of former Iraqi parliamentarian Ahmed Al-Alwani in Beirut, after security forces identified them and discovered they had fled to Syria. The motive for the crime remains unknown.

A Lebanese judicial source told Al Arabiya/Al Hadath on Thursday that security agencies had "identified two Syrians involved in the crime who escaped to Syria," adding that "the Lebanese authorities have asked the Syrian side to arrest and hand over these individuals" to continue the investigation and clarify the circumstances of the case.

The source explained that initial investigations revealed the involvement of three people in the crime, including a Lebanese national who has already been detained. The motive for Al-Alwani's killing is still unclear. The source also said Lebanon would delay handing over the former Iraqi MP’s body to allow for further medical examinations.

Lured from the airport to a Beirut apartment: How the crime unfolded

Ahmed Al-Alwani was found strangled to death in a Beirut apartment on Monday evening, after arriving in the Lebanese capital on November 5, according to a statement from his media office.

A Lebanese judicial source told Agence France-Presse that Al-Alwani was "carefully lured" by the perpetrators, who rented an apartment for him in the Tariq Al-Jadida district and brought him there from the airport, where he was killed.

According to his media office, Al-Alwani’s last contact with his team was after he arrived at the apartment from the airport, before he was later found dead.

Death sentence in Iraq, then released under amnesty

Some of the most controversial episodes in Al-Alwani’s life date back to 2014, when he was sentenced to death in Iraq for killing two soldiers, before being released last year under a general amnesty law.

Al-Alwani belonged to the prominent Albu Alwan tribe in Iraq’s western Anbar province and was a leading supporter of the 2013 protest movement against then-Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki’s government.

His arrest at the time sparked widespread anger among groups opposed to Al-Maliki’s government, which many Sunnis accused of marginalizing them. His murder in Beirut has renewed focus on his political and legal history, as Lebanese authorities continue to investigate the crime and pursue the suspects who fled to Syria.