BAGHDAD — An Iraqi court sentenced former Sunni MP Ahmed Al-Alwani to death on Sunday for murder, a spokesman said, a verdict that could damage Baghdad’s relationship with a powerful tribe battling militants.



Alwani is a member of the Albu Alwan tribe, members of which are fighting against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) group in the Ramadi area of Anbar province, a key front in the war against IS which has seized key parts of Iraq since June.



“The central criminal court sentenced Ahmed Al-Alwani to death... for his killing of two soldiers,” judicial spokesman Abdelsattar Bayraqdar told AFP, without saying when the murders took place.



He has a month to appeal the decision, Bayraqdar said. Alwani was arrested in a raid on his house in late December 2013 that killed his brother Ali and five guards.



The defense ministry said at the time that one security forces member was also killed and five were wounded in the raid.



It said Ali was the target of the raid, but that both brothers and the guards opened fire when security forces arrived.



Ahmed had parliamentary immunity, but the constitution permits MPs to be arrested without their immunity being waived in cases of serious crime. – AFP