ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Security forces in the Kurdistan Region have confirmed the arrest of a senior figure in Sweden’s notorious Foxtrot criminal network during a joint intelligence operation in the Region’s eastern Sulaimani province.
In a late Tuesday statement on its official Facebook page, the Kurdistan Region Security Agency (Asayish) in Sulaimani said it had captured “the leader of a dangerous international gang” following coordinated investigations both inside and outside Iraq.
“Based on accurate intelligence and extensive investigations both inside and outside the country, and pursuant to a decision issued by the Security Agency Investigative Judge, a joint operation was carried out by the Kurdistan Region Security Agency in coordination with the Iraqi National Intelligence Service [INIS],” the statement said.
Asayish added that the suspect was wanted under both domestic and international arrest warrants and was affiliated with Sweden’s Foxtrot criminal network.
“This dangerous international gang has committed numerous crimes across several countries,” the statement said, noting that the operation was conducted simultaneously in multiple provinces. “The criminal gang intended to use Iraqi territory to carry out its criminal activities.”
Earlier on Tuesday, security sources told Rudaw that the arrested suspect, 21-year-old Ali Shehab, is a dual Swedish-Iraqi national described as one of the most wanted figures within the Foxtrot network. He is accused by Swedish authorities of recruiting children to carry out killings in Sweden in exchange for money.
The confirmation by Asayish comes two days after the Swedish Police Authority reported Shehab’s arrest, stating that he was detained in December 2025 as a result of “long-term and in-depth cooperation between the Swedish Police Authority and Iraqi counterparts.”
In a Monday statement, Swedish police said the criminal “is being held in absentia in several district courts for a large number of cases of instigated murder, instigated attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder.