Iraq gives Foxtrot-linked gang figure life sentence

An Iraqi court has sentenced Ali Shehab, a leading figure in the Foxtrot criminal network, to life in prison, SVT reports. The sentence means he cannot be extradited and is unlikely to face trial in Sweden.

“The most important thing is that he is now locked up and cannot commit more crimes,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told SVT.

Shehab was sentenced by a court in Baghdad, according to sources cited by SVT. The Swedish Prosecution Authority confirmed the information on Tuesday.

“This is yet another seriously criminal Swedish citizen who has hidden abroad and committed serious crimes who is now being dealt with,” Kristersson said.

Shehab is also an Iraqi citizen. Since neither Iraq nor Sweden extradites its own citizens, he could not be sent to Sweden, Kristersson said.

“Of course, we would have preferred to put him on trial for crimes in Sweden as well,” he said.

Shehab is suspected in Sweden of numerous cases of incitement to murder, incitement to attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder, according to the Prosecution Authority.

Senior prosecutor Helene Gestrin said there were reasons to continue investigating him in Sweden, partly because people in Sweden who were allegedly targeted by the crimes had an interest in receiving redress. It is not yet clear whether a Swedish prosecution will be possible.

“That is something we have to analyse during the autumn,” Gestrin said.

According to information received by the Prosecution Authority, Shehab was sentenced for drug-related offences committed in Iraq, but the offences are linked to the Swedish drug market. Prosecutors will receive more details once they obtain the written judgment.

The Prosecution Authority said the sentence followed cooperation between Swedish prosecutors and Iraq’s judicial system. Gestrin said the exact nature of that cooperation remained unclear until the written judgment was available.