Iraqi intelligence announced on Wednesday that an alleged successor to ex-Daesh* leader al-Baghdadi had been arrested, according to a report by Ashaq al Awsat.
#Breaking| #Iraqi intelligence announced the arrest of the potential successor of slain #ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
— Asharq Al-Awsat English (@aawsat_eng) May 20, 2020
According to the INA news agency, Iraqi intelligence detained Abdullah Quardash, a possible successor to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
"Today, the National Intelligence Service announced the arrest of the candidate to succeed the terrorist Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi", INA news agency reported, citing security sources.
No official confirmation from Baghdad has followed the reports.
According to earlier media reports, 'Abdullah Qardash' is an alias for one of the group's founding members, Amir Mohammed Abdul Rahman al-Mawli al-Salbi, who was appointed as al-Baghdadi's successor hours after the latter's death.
Before al-Baghdadi's killing, there were allegations that the US State Department considered al-Salbi to be his potential successor, and quickly offered a $5 million reward for his capture.
The death of al-Baghdadi was announced by Trump in October 2019, who stated that US forces had hunted the terrorist down in Syria's Idlib province and assassinated him.
*Daesh is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia
