Iraq's deputy justice minister kidnapped in Baghdad

BAGHDAD: Iraq's deputy justice minister was kidnapped from his vehicle on Tuesday by black-clad gunmen in a north Baghdad district, three security sources said, the second high-profile abduction in the capital in less than a week. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Baghdad has seen a proliferation in recent years of well -armed criminal gangs that carry out contract killings, kidnappings and extortion.

Some elements of powerful Shia armed groups, which are seen as a critical deterrent against Islamic State militants, have also been accused of kidnapping people for political or criminal purposes.

Read: Over 50 Turkish jets bomb PKK targets in northern Iraq

Security sources said another ministry official and two guards were also abducted. A ministry spokesperson declined to comment but identified the deputy minister as Abdel Karim Faris.

Last week, gunmen seized 18 Turkish construction workers from a sports stadium they were building in northeastern Baghdad.

Iraqi security forces investigating the incident later raided the headquarters of a powerful Iranian-backed Shia militia, but the workers are still missing.