The body of former Iraqi member of parliament Ahmed al-Alwani was discovered in Beirut Tuesday evening. The circumstances surrounding the death of Alwani, a key figure in 2013 Sunni protests against the government, are under investigation.
What happened: Reports that al-Alwani was missing emerged around 8:30 p.m. local time (1:30 p.m. ET), with authorities later declaring him deceased. Iraqi ambassador to Lebanon Mohammed Redha al-Husseini told the official Iraqi News Agency that Baghdad is awaiting the report from Lebanese authorities regarding the circumstances of his death.
Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported that Judge Ahmed Rami Al-Hajj is handling the case.
Footage on Lebanese and Iraqi social media purportedly showed the discovery of al-Alwani’s body in the bathroom of a residence.
The apartment in which the body was discovered is located in the Tariq El Jdideh neighborhood, south of downtown Beirut, according to the National News Agency.
Who was al-Alwani? Al-Alwani, 57, was born in the city of Ramadi and studied geology in Baghdad before entering politics, according to Al-Arabiya. He was a prominent Sunni member of parliament who was previously arrested and sentenced to death by Iraqi authorities.
