LONDON: A former member of the Iraqi parliament was found dead in an apartment in Beirut on Tuesday evening, Lebanese media reported, shortly after his family reported they had lost contact with him.
Ahmed Al-Alwani was reportedly strangled in an apartment in the capital’s Tariq Al-Jadideh neighborhood. Lebanese media said he was believed to have been lured there before his death.
A Lebanese security source said the apartment was rented by a Lebanese national and two Syrians. Security forces have arrested one person suspected of involvement in the killing, the source added.
Authorities have yet to issue an official statement detailing the circumstances of Al-Alwani’s death or identifying any suspects. Investigators were said to be working to establish why he was at the apartment and what led up to his death.
Earlier on Tuesday, it emerged that Al-Alwani’s family had informed the Iraqi Embassy in Beirut that they had not heard from him for four days, his phones were switched off and companions did not know his whereabouts.
