Lebanese authorities have launched a murder investigation following the discovery of former Iraqi lawmaker Ahmed al-Alwani's body in an apartment in Beirut. The security source, who spoke to Al Jazeera, revealed that the former lawmaker was found dead on Tuesday evening in Tariq al-Jdideh neighbourhood of Beirut, as reported by Lebanese media. Judge Ahmed Rami al-Hajj, Lebanon’s top prosecutor, is personally overseeing the investigation into al-Alwani's killing, being carried out by the Information Branch of Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces. Al-Alwani’s office has called his death an "assassination" and a "treacherous crime," demanding a thorough investigation and accountability for the perpetrators.
The deceased was a Sunni politician who previously represented Iraq's western province of Anbar in parliament, gaining prominence during the 2012-2013 protests against the Shia-led government of then-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Al-Alwani was also known for his vocal criticism of Iran's influence in Iraq and Iranian-backed Shia armed groups within the country. He was arrested in December 2013, released under Iraq’s General Amnesty Law in April 2025 after more than a decade in prison.
Preliminary findings indicate that al-Alwani may have been strangled to death, and a Lebanese national suspected of involvement has been arrested. Authorities are looking for two Syrian suspects still at large, who reportedly took al-Alwani from the airport to his hotel upon his arrival in Beirut last week. Iraq’s Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammed Reda al-Husseini is closely following the case and awaiting the final report from the Lebanese security agencies to "disclose the circumstances of the crime."