Iraqi court sentences police officer to death for murder of government adviser

FILE PHOTO: A poster depicting the former government advisor and political analyst Hisham al-Hashemi, who was killed by gunmen is seen at the Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Iraq July 8, 2020. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An Iraqi court on Sunday sentenced to death a police officer blamed for leading a group that gunned down well-known analyst and government adviser Hisham al-Hashemi three years ago in Baghdad.

Hashemi, who had advised the government on defeating Sunni Muslim Islamic State militants and curbing the influence of the pro-Iran Shi’ite militias, was shot dead outside his Baghdad family home in July 2020 by men on a motorbike.