Iraq arrests three on terror charges over plot to hit Baghdad with rockets

Katyusha rockets have been regularly fired at Baghdad's fortified Green Zone

Members of Iraq's security force stand guard outside one of the Green Zone entrances in Baghdad, on November 6, 2021. AFP

Three men have been charged with terrorism offences after Iraqi security forces thwarted an attempt to target vital infrastructure in the capital with Katyusha rockets.

Authorities made the arrests after they received intelligence about the cell's intentions, Baghdad Operations Command said on Wednesday.

Two Katyusha rockets, two missile fuses, six detonators and one detonation timer were seized by a SWAT team in Tarmiyah, north of Baghdad.

Pictures posted on the Baghdad Operations Command’s official Facebook page showed the three men in yellow prison jumpsuits with their faces blurred following their capture and arrest.

Katyusha rockets have been regularly used to hit Baghdad's fortified Green Zone.

The Green Zone hosts foreign embassies, including the US embassy, and government buildings and is regularly the target of rockets fired by groups that US and Iraqi officials say are backed by Iran.