The Islamic State prisoner and the intelligence chief

By Paul McGeough
November 1 2014 - 12:15am
Centuries-old ritual: A Shiite Muslim man flagellates himself during an Ashura procession to the Shrine of Imam Musa al-Kadhim in Baghdad's northern suburb of Kadhimiya on Thursday. Photo: Kate Geraghty
Centuries-old ritual: A Shiite Muslim man flagellates himself during an Ashura procession to the Shrine of Imam Musa al-Kadhim in Baghdad's northern suburb of Kadhimiya on Thursday. Photo: Kate Geraghty
Centuries-old ritual: A Shiite Muslim man flagellates himself during an Ashura procession to the Shrine of Imam Musa al-Kadhim in Baghdad's northern suburb of Kadhimiya on Thursday. Photo: Kate Geraghty
Centuries-old ritual: A Shiite Muslim man flagellates himself during an Ashura procession to the Shrine of Imam Musa al-Kadhim in Baghdad's northern suburb of Kadhimiya on Thursday. Photo: Kate Geraghty
Centuries-old ritual: A Shiite Muslim man flagellates himself during an Ashura procession to the Shrine of Imam Musa al-Kadhim in Baghdad's northern suburb of Kadhimiya on Thursday. Photo: Kate Geraghty
Centuries-old ritual: A Shiite Muslim man flagellates himself during an Ashura procession to the Shrine of Imam Musa al-Kadhim in Baghdad's northern suburb of Kadhimiya on Thursday. Photo: Kate Geraghty
Centuries-old ritual: A Shiite Muslim man flagellates himself during an Ashura procession to the Shrine of Imam Musa al-Kadhim in Baghdad's northern suburb of Kadhimiya on Thursday. Photo: Kate Geraghty
Centuries-old ritual: A Shiite Muslim man flagellates himself during an Ashura procession to the Shrine of Imam Musa al-Kadhim in Baghdad's northern suburb of Kadhimiya on Thursday. Photo: Kate Geraghty
Shiite muslims gather in the street leading towards the twin shrines of Imam Musa al-Kadhim and Imam Muhammad al-Taqi. Photo: Kate Geraghty
Shiite muslims gather in the street leading towards the twin shrines of Imam Musa al-Kadhim and Imam Muhammad al-Taqi. Photo: Kate Geraghty
Shiite Muslim men beat themselves with chains during the Ashura procession. Photo: Kate Geragty
Shiite Muslim men beat themselves with chains during the Ashura procession. Photo: Kate Geragty
Shiite Muslims gather in the streets leading towards the twin shrines of Imam Musa al-Kadhim and Imam Muhammad al-Taqi in Baghdad's northern suburb of Kadhimiya. Photo: Kate Geraghty
Shiite Muslims gather in the streets leading towards the twin shrines of Imam Musa al-Kadhim and Imam Muhammad al-Taqi in Baghdad's northern suburb of Kadhimiya. Photo: Kate Geraghty

It came late. But in a brutal, chaotic country, the interrogation of Abu Hajjar was an intelligence success – of sorts.

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