BEIRUT, Lebanon – Former Iraqi lawmaker Ahmed al-Alwani was found dead inside an apartment in Beirut after losing contact with his family for several days, prompting a murder investigation by Lebanese authorities and diplomatic coordination with Iraq.
Lebanese security and judicial officials said al-Alwani’s body was discovered on Monday night, November 9, in an apartment in the Tariq Jadida neighbourhood. Investigators said he had suffered a head injury before being strangled. The Lebanese public prosecutor, Judge Ahmad Rami al-Haj, is overseeing the investigation.
The circumstances surrounding the identification of the body were initially unclear. The Iraqi Embassy in Beirut said on November 10 that an examination had not conclusively established the identity because of the body’s condition and that a DNA test was required. A subsequent report citing an Iraqi Foreign Ministry source said the embassy had identified the body following further examination.
Investigators Examine Al-Alwani’s Final Movements
According to Lebanese security officials, al-Alwani arrived in Beirut from Erbil in northern Iraq approximately five days before his body was discovered.
He initially booked a hotel room in the Hamra district before moving to an apartment in Tariq Jadida. Officials said the apartment had been rented for two days by two Syrian nationals and a Lebanese citizen.
When the rental period ended, the real estate agent reportedly failed to reach al-Alwani and went to the apartment. Police subsequently entered the property and discovered his body.
Investigators questioned the taxi driver who collected al-Alwani from the airport and began searching for the individuals who rented the apartment. Authorities have not publicly established the motive for the killing or identified all those responsible.
Iraqi Embassy Coordinates With Lebanese Authorities
Iraqi Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammed Reda al-Husseini said the embassy was in contact with Lebanese security and judicial authorities to follow the investigation.
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The embassy established a team under the ambassador’s supervision to coordinate with Lebanese officials and follow the identification and legal procedures surrounding the case.
Iraqi authorities said they were awaiting the findings of the Lebanese investigation before providing further details about the circumstances of al-Alwani’s death.
Al-Alwani’s media office called for a transparent investigation and urged Iraqi authorities to coordinate with Lebanon to establish responsibility and bring those involved to justice.
Former Parliamentarian Had Been Released From Iraqi Prison in 2025
Al-Alwani represented Iraq’s western Anbar province in parliament and became a prominent figure in Sunni-led protests against the government of then-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in 2012 and 2013.
He was arrested at his home in Ramadi in December 2013 after Iraqi security forces moved against him on terrorism-related charges. An exchange of fire during the arrest killed his brother, several members of his security detail and Iraqi troops, according to accounts of the incident.
He spent more than a decade in detention before being released in April 2025. The Inter-Parliamentary Union had previously raised concerns about his detention and called for his release.
His death in Beirut has raised questions about the circumstances of his travel to Lebanon and the people who arranged the apartment where he was found.
Lebanese investigators have not announced a confirmed motive or completed their findings. The investigation remains under the supervision of the country’s judicial authorities.
Primary Sources: Iraqi Embassy in Lebanon — Statement on the disappearance of former Iraqi lawmaker Ahmed al-Alwani and the discovery of a body in Beirut, November 10, 2026. The embassy said the initial examination could not conclusively establish the body’s identity and that DNA testing was required; it also confirmed coordination with Lebanese security and judicial authorities. The Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) — Official reporting on the investigation supervised by Public Prosecutor Judge Ahmad Rami al-Haj, November 10, 2026. Identifies the Lebanese judicial authority overseeing the inquiry. Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Information on the embassy’s identification of al-Alwani’s body following further examination, November 10, 2026, as reported by a ministry source.
