Before you continue
This case involves crimes against children. Casepin presents the record in neutral, non-graphic language. Choose whether to continue.
Solved case · 2016
Also known as 3 July 2016 Baghdad bombing · 2 July 2016 Baghdad bombings
The short answer
A suicide truck bomb detonated in the Karrada district of Baghdad just after midnight on 3 July 2016, killing at least 324 people and injuring hundreds more; the Islamic State claimed responsibility, and years later Iraqi authorities announced the arrest and execution of individuals connected to the attack.
The coverage index
No one's coverage is attached to this file yet.
Know great coverage of this case?
A documentary, a podcast episode, a careful long-form video. Suggest it and an editor will review it before it appears here.
Suggest coverage for 2016 Karrada bombingThe case file
In the early hours of 3 July 2016 (shortly after midnight local time, with the attack beginning around 21:00 UTC on 2 July), a suicide truck bomb exploded in the Karrada district of Baghdad, a mainly Shia neighborhood that was crowded with late-night shoppers and people breaking their Ramadan fast. The bomb was reportedly concealed inside a refrigerator truck. The blast ignited a large fire that spread through nearby shopping centers, which lacked emergency exits, trapping many victims inside. A separate roadside bomb detonated around the same time in the Sha'ab neighborhood of northern Baghdad, killing at least five people and injuring 16. Two additional, smaller bombings also occurred in Baghdad that night, in Abu Ghraib District and in al-Latifiya, each killing one person.
The Iraqi Ministry of Defence initially reported at least 167 killed and over 180 injured; the toll rose as further bodies were recovered from the rubble in the days following. Overall figures cited for the Karrada bombing state at least 324 people killed and at least 223 injured, with reports noting many victims were children. The general manager of the Rusafa Health Directorate stated that hospitals received 138 wounded and 70 dead, with fifty bodies burned beyond recognition and samples sent for DNA testing. In a 2021 interview, Iraq's Minister of Defence at the time of the bombing claimed the true death toll was 1,000, disputing lower figures.
The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the Karrada attack, stating it deliberately targeted Shia Muslims and naming the suicide bomber as Abu Maha al-Iraqi. Analysts linked the bombing to IS's recent loss of Fallujah, viewing it as retaliation or an attempt to distract Iraqi security forces. The attack followed other IS-linked mass-casualty attacks that week in Istanbul and Dhaka, amid IS calls for increased attacks during Ramadan.
In the aftermath, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visited the bombing site and faced angry crowds; Interior Minister Mohammed Al-Ghabban resigned days later, citing a "fundamentally flawed" security system. Several security officials were removed from their posts. Five convicts were executed and 40 suspected jihadists were arrested in the immediate aftermath.
On 18 October 2021, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi announced the arrest of Ghazwan al-Zawbaee, described as the man behind the bombing. On 28 August 2023, the Iraqi government announced that three members of IS, including al-Zawbaee, had been executed by hanging for the attack.
Domestically, Iraq's Association of Muslim Scholars condemned the bombing, and a representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani visited the site. Internationally, New Zealand's Sky Tower was illuminated in the colors of the Iraqi flag on 6 July to honor victims, following advocacy from a member of Auckland's Iraqi community.
10 dated entries · 2016–2023
Baghdad bombings, attributed to IS, kill over 101 people, cited as background context.
IS-linked attack occurs in Istanbul, Turkey.
The 2016 Battle of Fallujah concludes with Iraqi government forces recapturing the city from IS.
IS-linked attack occurs in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Attacks begin around 21:00 UTC (shortly after midnight local time on 3 July): suicide truck bomb detonates in Karrada, Baghdad; roadside bomb detonates in Sha'ab; additional bombings occur in Abu Ghraib District and al-Latifiya.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visits the bombing site and is confronted by angry crowds.
Interior Minister Mohammed Al-Ghabban resigns, citing a flawed security system.
Thousands gather at the bombing site to mourn; New Zealand's Sky Tower is lit in Iraqi flag colors to honor victims.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi announces the arrest of Ghazwan al-Zawbaee, identified as the man behind the bombing.
Iraqi government announces the execution by hanging of three IS members, including Ghazwan al-Zawbaee, for the attack.
2 named in this file
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Announced by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi in October 2021 as arrested for masterminding the bombing; reported executed by hanging in August 2023 along with two other IS members for the attack.[3]
Identified by the Islamic State's claim of responsibility as the suicide bomber who carried out the Karrada truck bombing; not tried in court due to death in the attack, named only via organizational claim.[3]
From the record
3 cited
Coverage is not a source: every fact in this file rests on the records below.
PressReutersAccessed Jul 7, 2026
PressBBC NewsAccessed Jul 7, 2026
EncyclopedicWikipediaAccessed Jul 7, 2026
Trust
Are you family of someone named in this file? Corrections and removal requests from victims’ families are prioritized.
Near this case
Credit: Birdshot at English Wikipedia·Public domain·SourceUNSOLVEDListenBaghdad Hotel, Sadoun Street, Baghdad, Iraq · 1980s
On 12 October 2003, a car bomb attack targeted the Baghdad Hotel, a landmark building frequented by Western journalists and Iraqi Governing Council members, killing six Iraqis and the attacker and wounding at least 32 others.
UNSOLVEDListenBaghdad, Iraq · 2010s
In early 2012, Iraqi teenage boys associated with the "emo" subculture were targeted and beaten to death with cement blocks in Baghdad, in a campaign linked to paramilitary groups and allegedly aided by security forces; death toll estimates ranged from 6 to as high as 100.
SOLVEDListenBaghdad, Iraq · 2000s
Two suicide car bombs struck the Ministry of Justice and the Baghdad Provincial Council building in Baghdad on 25 October 2009, killing 155 people and injuring at least 721, including children on a daycare bus.
Credit: Pax Ahimsa Gethen·CC BY-SA 4.0·SourceSOLVEDListenPulse nightclub, Orlando, Florida, United States · 2016
On June 12, 2016, Omar Mateen, identified by police as the gunman, shot and killed 49 people and wounded 58 others at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, during a Latin Night event, before being fatally shot by police after a three-hour standoff.
Credit: uploader and the RNAO·CC BY-SA 3.0·SourceSOLVEDListenYonge Street, North York City Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada · 2018
On April 23, 2018, a man drove a rented van into pedestrians along Yonge Street in Toronto's North York City Centre, killing 11 people and injuring 15 others before being arrested; he was later convicted on all counts and sentenced to life in prison.
Birstall, West Yorkshire, England · 2016
On 16 June 2016, British Labour MP Jo Cox was shot and stabbed to death in Birstall, West Yorkshire, by Thomas Alexander Mair. He was convicted in November 2016 of murder and related offences, with the judge finding the killing was an act of terrorism motivated by white supremacist and neo-Nazi ideology. Mair received a whole life order.
