Iraq's Interior Ministry: The Woman Arrested is Not the Wife of ISIS Leader

One day after Lebanese officials announced the arrest of the wife and son of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State group, Iraq's Interior Ministry stated that the woman detained in Lebanon is not al-Baghdadi's wife. "Saad Ma'an Ibrahim," spokesman for the Iraqi Interior Ministry, told the Associated Press on Wednesday, December 3, that the woman arrested in Lebanon, named "Sajji Abdulhamid al-Dulaimi," is the sister of someone convicted in a bombing case in southern Iraq. He emphasized that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the ISIS leader, has two wives, but neither of them is Sajji Abdulhamid al-Dulaimi. According to Iraqi officials, Sajji al-Dulaimi, who was traveling with a fake passport, was arrested and claimed to be Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's wife. The report states that she is the wife of "Omar Abdulhamid al-Dulaimi" and an Iraqi citizen who had traveled to Syria before reaching Lebanon. These officials did not provide information about the son who was arrested with her. The Associated Press reported on Tuesday, December 2, citing two senior Lebanese officials on condition of anonymity, that the suspects are currently under interrogation and a DNA test is being conducted regarding the boy believed to be the son of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. One of these Lebanese officials stated that Syrian authorities had initially arrested Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's wife but released her in exchange for the release of their prisoners by the al-Nusra Front. The al-Nusra Front had previously released more than 10 Greek nurses in exchange for the release of several women prisoners held by the Syrian government, which this Lebanese official's remarks refer to. The Associated Press writes that the news of the arrest of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's possible wife and son comes amid efforts to reach an agreement between Lebanon on one side and ISIS and the al-Nusra Front on the other for a prisoner exchange. ISIS and al-Nusra Front militants have taken more than 20 Lebanese soldiers and police officers hostage since summer, claiming they will exchange them for their prisoners in Lebanon. The al-Nusra Front also threatened on Monday night to kill one of these soldiers. The United States had previously promised a $10 million reward for information leading to the capture or death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Earlier reports indicated that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had been injured during airstrikes.