DUBAI, UAE - An Iraqi court on Monday sentenced a convicted Islamic State (ISIS) member to death for the abduction and killing of a civilian and one of the country’s most prominent intelligence officers in northern Baghdad in 2017.

The Karkh Criminal Court issued the ruling against Ahmed Sabri Rashid, who was found guilty of kidnapping and killing Captain Harith al-Sudani and civilian Hamza Abdul Mohsen in Tarmiyah, according to a statement from the Supreme Judicial Council.

The court said Rashid carried out the killings “to destabilize security and spread fear among citizens” in pursuit of terrorist objectives.

The ruling was issued under Iraq’s anti-terrorism law No. 13 of 2005.

The incident took place in 2017 in Tarmiyah, a district north of Baghdad long considered a hotspot for militant activity.

According to a statement from Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) from Thursday, Rashid was a long-time ISIS member involved in logistics and coordination of attacks.

Investigations found he had joined the militant group in 2008, initially transporting fighters and explosives before rising to become a key link between ISIS leadership and operational cells in Baghdad and southern Iraq.

Authorities believe Rashid had a role in coordinating suicide car bombings targeting civilians and security forces, and was directly involved in luring Sudani to Tarmiyah under the pretext of receiving explosives, where the officer was later captured and executed.

He was arrested after years of intelligence tracking and was found carrying forged identification documents used to evade detection.

A 2018 report by The New York Times described Sudani as “perhaps Iraq’s greatest spy,” citing top Iraqi intelligence officials. He has been credited with infiltrating ISIS and foiling dozens of attacks.

Iraqi officials said his work helped prevent at least 30 car bombings and 18 suicide operations, while also contributing to the killing of several ISIS leaders in Mosul.

Sudani joined Iraq’s elite Falcon Intelligence Cell in 2006 and, after ISIS seized large parts of the country in 2014, volunteered to go undercover within the group.

Using the alias “Abu Suhaib,” he embedded himself in militant networks in Tarmiyah and quickly rose to a logistics role, enabling Iraqi intelligence to dismantle bombs and arrest attackers before they struck.

His cover was compromised in late 2016 after ISIS intercepted communications and tracked his movements. In early 2017, he went missing after being was summoned to a remote location, where he is believed to have been captured and killed by ISIS.

Sudani’s body was never found, but the late officer has become a symbol of courage and sacrifice across Iraq.