Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) arrested Shiite cleric and Jaish al-Mukhtar leader Wathiq Al-Battat on Friday under a judicial warrant on charges of insulting security institutions and the PMF, Shafaq News reported from Baghdad during the reporting window from 2:16 AM to 5:15 AM UTC on December 21, 2025. The arrest was carried out by the PMF, according to the Shafaq News report published in the three-hour period ending at 5:15 AM UTC. No additional details on the timing or location of the arrest within Iraq were provided in the report.
