Former Iraqi defense minister Najah al-Shammari was briefly put under arrest on suspicion of benefits fraud in Sweden, a prosecutor said on Tuesday.
Prosecutor Jens Nilsson said Shammari was arrested on Monday when he arrived at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport and was released upon agreeing to come in for questioning the next day.
Swedish media said in 2019 that Shammari was under investigation for claiming housing and child benefits in Sweden while living and working in Iraq.
The defense minister was identified as an Iraqi government minister who had come under investigation for “crimes against humanity” in a probe that has since been closed.
Swedish newspaper Expressen said Shammari arrived in Sweden in 2009 and became a citizen in 2015.
