Militia member guns down defendant in Iraq courtroom

A man arrested on terrorism-related charges in Iraq was killed inside a courtroom in the Nineveh governate, local reports said.

Mishaal Ahmad Ammash was shot dead by a member of the Popular Mobilisation Forces militia coalition, also known as Al-Hashd al-Shaabi.

His killer was named in local media as Bassam Sharabi.

Footage that appeared online showed the moment in which the killer entered the courthouse before targeting Ammash. The victim was wearing an orange prison uniform when he was shot from behind.

The video shows the suspect walking towards him and unloading shots into the detainee. He was wrestled to the ground by three officers shortly after.

In a statement, Iraq’s police authorities said they had arrested the suspect, adding that the motive was linked to a ‘clan vendetta’ with the victim. The incident sparked outrage in Iraq, where many have called on authorities to bring to a halt PMF violations on state institutions.

The PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic, are an Iran-backed but Iraq-sanctioned umbrella organisation bringing mostly Shia militias together.

While technically under the command of the prime minister, the PMF operates on its own initiative and its interests are represented in parliament via the Fatah Alliance, a bloc of Shia Islamist factions.

Analysts say it has been in several instances of "appearing to be above the state", which has damaged its popularity.