Iraqi envoy says body found in Lebanon believed to be former lawmaker

BEIRUT: Initial findings indicate that a body found in Lebanon belongs to former Iraqi lawmaker Ahmed Al-Alwani, Iraq’s ambassador to Beirut said Wednesday.

Mohammed Reda Al-Husseini told the Iraqi News Agency that an examination at Zahle Government Hospital, attended by a relative of Al-Alwani, and information received overnight pointed to the former lawmaker’s identity.

However, Lebanon’s chief prosecutor ordered DNA testing to confirm the identity because the body was decomposed and most of its features were no longer recognizable, Al-Husseini said.

He added that the tests would take some time, while the Iraqi Embassy was coordinating with Lebanese authorities to speed up procedures to receive the body and transfer it to Baghdad.