Killer of parliamentary candidate sentenced to death

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BAGHDAD - An Iraqi court handed down a death sentence on Wednesday to a man convicted of killing a parliamentary candidate in a bomb attack last year.

Safaa al-Mashhadani's death in October near the capital Baghdad came just weeks ahead of Iraq's parliamentary election.

According to Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council, a criminal court "issued a death sentence against the killer of Baghdad Provincial Council member Safaa al-Mashhadani".

It said the convict had "planted an explosive device under the victim's vehicle".

Under Iraqi law, crimes of murder and terrorism are punishable by death, but sentences require the president's approval before they are carried out.

Iraq's elections were the sixth since the 2003 US-led invasion of the country, which toppled longtime ruler Saddam Hussein.