ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq’s intelligence service on Thursday announced the repatriation of Zaid Ibrahim Ali, an outspoken social media critic of Iraqi security agencies and Iranian influence, after he was detained in Syria last week.

The influencer, who goes by the nickname Zaid the Warrior, has been a subject of controversy in Iraq for years, gaining notoriety among pro-Iran Iraqi groups and government officials for his commentary videos on social media where he vocally censures the leadership of Iraqi security and military institutions and Iran’s widespread influence on the country.

“Following intelligence operations conducted outside Iraq, the National Intelligence Service successfully carried out a targeted operation that resulted in the arrest of Zaid Ibrahim Ali, also known as Zaid al-Muharib (Zaid the Warrior),” read a statement from the Iraqi National Intelligence Sercvice on Thursday.

The statement accused Ali of “numerous cases of extortion, defamation, and organized crime,” adding that several judicial arrest warrants have been issued against the influencer.

News of his arrest made the rounds in late August, after a viral video showed the social media personality confronted and slapped by a group of Iraqi men while in Syria, before they proceeded to restrain him and call security forces.

“The operation took place in Syria in coordination with the security authorities of the Syrian Arab Republic. He was subsequently extradited to Iraq and handed over to the competent judicial authorities to face justice,” the intelligence agency added.

Ali has had several different social media pages over the years, with his accounts racking up hundreds of thousands of followers before being taken down.

Publicly insulting state institutions is punishable by a term of imprisonment not exceeding 7 years or detention or a fine, under Article 226 of the Iraqi Penal Code, while Article 229 mandates a prison sentence not exceeding two years for insulting public servants.

In addition to the defamation and extortion allegations, Ali has also been accused of leaking security information related to Iraqi institutions, especially amid Iraq’s involvement in the US-Iran war which has been ongoing since February.

Article 178 and 179 of the Iraqi Penal Code mandates a prison sentence not exceeding 10 years for “any person who broadcasts or discloses in any way secrets in respect of the defense of the State,” as well as “any person who willfully broadcasts in time of war false or biased information, statements or rumors or disseminates subversive propaganda which, by their nature, will disrupt any military preparations for the defense of the State.”