Former Iraqi lawmaker Ahmed al-Alwani has been found dead in an apartment in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, according to a security source, prompting a “murder” investigation.

The source, who spoke to Al Jazeera on Tuesday, did not disclose how al-Alwani had died.

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The official National News Agency described al-Awani’s death as a “murder” and said authorities in Lebanon have launched an investigation.

It said al-Alwani’s body was found in an apartment in the Tariq Al-Jadeeda neighborhood of Beirut on Monday.

According to NNA, Judge Ahmed Rami al-Hajj will oversee the investigation by Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces.

A Lebanese judicial source told the AFP news agency that preliminary findings indicate al-Alwani was strangled to death and that a Lebanese national suspected of involvement has been arrested.

The official said authorities are looking for two Syrian suspects still at large. He added that the suspects had taken Alwani from the airport to his hotel when he arrived in Beirut last week.

Iraq’s Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammed Reda al-Husseini said the embassy was following the case closely.

He said the embassy is awaiting the final report from the Lebanese security agencies to “disclose the circumstances of the crime”.

A Sunni politician, al-Alwani formerly represented the western province of Anbar in Iraq’s parliament. He rose to prominence during the protests of 2012 and 2013 against the Shia-led government of then-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

He was arrested in December 2013 during a security raid on his home in Ramadi, during which his brother and several others were killed.

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Al-Alwani was sentenced to death in 2014 on “terrorism” charges, but was released in April 2025 under Iraq’s General Amnesty Law after more than a decade in detention.

Following his release, Al-Alwani returned to public life, frequently meeting political figures, including Iraqi-Kurdish leaders in Erbil up until late last year.