Iraq honors policeman who stopped would-be suicide bomber

By Karim Kadim | AP May 26
BAGHDAD — Iraq has honored a police officer who stopped a would-be suicide bomber at a checkpoint in a northern Baghdad neighborhood this week.

Saad Ali Thabit’s brave act was caught on a closed-circuit camera on Wednesday in the Kadhimiyah neighborhood and has since gone viral, racking up hundreds of thousands of views on Thursday.

The footage shows Thabit discovering and then disarming the would-be bomber during a routine search at the checkpoint where he was working. It shows other people lined up at the checkpoint quickly running away as the bomber’s explosive belt was discovered.

Thabit is seen pinning the attacker against the checkpoint’s wall and disarming the explosives. Later Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi commended Thabit for his heroism and courage.

Baghdad has experienced a wave of deadly bombings this month that killed more than 200 within a single week. The attacks point to the resilience of the Islamic State group, which has claimed responsibility for many of the deadliest attacks.