08 Jan 2021; MEMO: An Iraqi court yesterday issued an arrest warrant for outgoing US President Donald Trump on charges of assassinating the deputy head of Iraq's Hashd Al-Shaabi or Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), Abu-Mahdi Al-Muhandis, and 11 others.
Al-Muhandis was assassinated a year ago along with the commander of the Iranian Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, and ten of their companions in an American drone strike near Baghdad International Airport under Trump's command.
The Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq said in a statement that it was tasked with investigating the assassination and issued the warrant after the judge recorded the statements of the claimants from the family of Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis.
The arrest warrant was for a charge of premeditated murder, which carries the death penalty.
Remarking on the court's decision, Iraqi legal expert Tariq Harb said the warrant is symbolic and is unlikely to be carried out as former heads of states enjoy immunity even after leaving office.
On Tuesday, Iranian judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili announced that Tehran had again requested Interpol issue a red notice for Trump's arrest over Soleimani's assassination.
