Lahur Sheikh Jangi has been arrested under Article 56 of the Iraqi Penal Code, with additional charges expected to follow.

Judge Salah Hassan, spokesman for the Sulaymaniyah court, told Channel8 that the arrest warrant was issued under Article 56, which refers to the preliminary planning to commit a crime.

However, Salah confirmed that prosecutors will soon open another case against Jangi under Article 406 of the Penal Code, which relates to murder and confrontation with security forces. Article 406 carries penalties ranging from life imprisonment to the death penalty in cases of deliberate murder.

Prosecution of Armed Groups

Judge Salah added that all illegal armed elements who defended Jangi under the name of the so-called “Scorpion Force” and confronted security forces during his arrest will also face prosecution.

He noted that while the number of accused individuals and the timing of their trials cannot yet be disclosed, court proceedings will resume after Sunday, when dates will be set for hearings.

According to the Kurdistan Region Security Agency, the Lalezar incident stemmed from information that Lahur Sheikh Jangi's militia group, the Scorpion Force, with the support of Azhi Ameen, who supplied drones and armed militias, plotted to carry out a coup involving assassinations and drone attacks. The agency stated that the Lalezar group sought to destabilize the region by targeting senior Kurdish officials, including PUK President Bafel Jalal Talabani, as well as several government and security figures.

The Kurdistan Region Security Agency released video confessions from members of the Lalezar group, in which they admitted to planning to carry out assassination plots and attacks on government institutions across Sulaymaniyah and Halabja provinces, as well as the Garmian and Raparin independent administrations.

The Sulaymaniyah Appeal Court had instructed Lahur Sheikh Jangi to formally surrender through legal procedures and in a civilized manner, but he refused. Consequently, security forces acted under the court's order.