Iraqi suspect shoots interrogator

Washington Post:

A man being questioned in connection with last Sunday's devastating bombings targeting Iraqi ministries grabbed a gun from a guard and fatally shot a senior investigator, Iraqi officials said Sunday.

The investigator, Maj. Arkan Hachim, returned fire after he was wounded. The suspect was also fatally shot, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Interior.

Ministry officials acknowledged that the incident showed "a dereliction," and they vowed to "investigate the matters behind this incident."

The statement did not identify the suspect. Nor did it explain how investigators had linked him to the bombings or note when the shooting occurred.

The bombings targeting the Justice Ministry and the Baghdad Provincial Council buildings in central Baghdad killed nearly 160 people and wounded hundreds. It followed the Aug. 19 bombing of the Foreign and Finance ministries, which were similarly devastated.

The statement said the suspect took the handgun of a guard as he was being taken to get a drink of water. He wounded the guard before barging into Hachim's office and shooting him, officials said.

...

It appears they had reason to suspect he was a violent person and could have been responsible for the mass murder attack. It also highlights how sloppy the Iraqi security service has become since it cut itself loose from US troops. Earlier reports had tied the attacks to al Qaeda.