Iraq drug suspect blows himself up with grenade during arrest

Dubai: A suspected drug trafficker blew himself up with a hand grenade during an attempted arrest in Iraq's southern Basra province, killing himself and injuring seven security personnel, Iraqi authorities said, as footage of the incident resurfaced on social media.

Iraq's General Directorate for Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances clarified that the incident occurred on October 20 and dismissed reports circulating online that portrayed it as a new attack.

According to the directorate, a specialised anti-narcotics unit was attempting to arrest the suspect when he threatened officers with a hand grenade.

One officer tried to prevent the suspect from detonating the explosive, but the man set it off towards the security team, killing himself and injuring seven personnel. The injured security personnel were taken to hospital for treatment.

The incident took place near Saad Square in central Basra during an operation targeting a suspected drug trafficker.

Iraqi media reported that security forces had surrounded the suspect and attempted to persuade him to surrender peacefully before he detonated the grenade.

The directorate said the operation had already been announced when it occurred and stressed that claims circulating about the incident were inaccurate and unsupported by official information.

It urged the public and media organisations to verify reports and rely on official statements to prevent the spread of misinformation.