The Iraqi Interior Ministry announced Monday (July 9th) that security forces have arrested the "Baghdad wali" of the al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq group.

According to deputy Interior Minister Adnan al-Asadi, the suspect "is responsible for the assassinations that recently occurred in Baghdad".

"The Interior Ministry has sought the names of other suspects, and we're trying to arrest them," al-Asadi said during a press conference in Baghdad. "There are security cells that will be activated in all provinces in co-ordination with all the ministry's agencies so the security situation can be controlled."

The detainee's name and details regarding his arrest will be announced at a later press conference after investigators complete their interrogations and identify other al-Qaeda's cells under his command, he added.

"During the next few days there won't be a rise in assassinations," al-Asadi said. "The ministry is seeking to get the country back to what it was two months ago when the security situation was stable."