KIRKUK, Iraq – The imam of a local mosque in southern Baghdad’s Dora neighborhood died after an altercation with suspected Sunni extremists on Friday, with Iraqi authorities launching an investigation into the incident.

Iraq’s Sunni Endowment Office on Friday announced that Sheikh Abdul Sattar al-Qarghuli had died after being attacked in “a cowardly criminal act” inside his mosque. The office condemned the attack, and announced that a number of suspects had been arrested by security forces.

The Joint Operations Command (JOC) later said that an investigative committee has been formed to probe the imam’s death, under the directive of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani. The premier called for expediting the investigations and taking legal measures against all those involved.

Sudani stressed that “the government will not hesitate to hold accountable any party proven negligent or involved in the incident,” according to the JOC statement, emphasizing “the importance of instilling the values ​​of tolerance and peaceful coexistence, and avoiding all forms of incitement or hatred.”

Eyewitnesses who were present during the Friday prayer reported that a group of “bearded” young men had entered the mosque and attempted to stop Qarghuli from delivering the Friday sermon. After the imam refused to let them take the pulpit (minbar), the men reportedly detained him inside a room in the mosque and physically assaulted him.

Qarghuli, who was reportedly already suffering from a heart condition, died shortly after arriving at the hospital.

“They [the group] have been trying to seize the mosque since Ramadhan. They came three months ago, but the people did not accept them because they had extremist ideologies and are backed by a political side. I will not mention any names, but they are well known. They have tried to seize several mosques in Dora, not just here,” one of the eyewitnesses told local media.

Sheikh Mustafa al-Bayati, head of the Association of Imams and Preachers of al-Adhamiya, accused the group, reportedly consisting of around 30 men, of being affiliated with the Madkhali movement – a subset of the Salafi school of thought in Islam that is considered by many as a fundamentalist and extremist denomination of Salafism.

“These thugs and their thuggish imam are supported by political parties, and we have previously warned against these thugs. They are hatcheries for ISIS [the Islamic State]. They are the ones who declare people infidels and are incubators for ISIS,” said Bayati during an interview with local media.

Iraq’s National Security Advisory in May issued a directive to “take legal measures and strengthen societal programs to combat extremist movements that threaten collective peace,” singling out the Madkhali movement and labeling it a “high-level threat to societal peace and national security.”

Decades of sectarian tensions have made Iraq a hub and even an incubator for extremist groups. The authorities’ measure in May is considered part of the efforts to prevent the reemergence of violent ideologies that threaten Iraq’s national security.