The 9ft crime boss: Puzzle over doctored mugshot released by Iraq

Show caption: A mugshot of Kazim Hamad provided by Iraqi authorities shows…

AI-generated image suggesting Kazem Hamad was the world's tallest man was provided to Australian police

Celebrating the arrest of a wanted crime boss in Iraq, Australian police commissioner Krissy Barrett urged members of Kazem Hamad's drug gang to "look long and hard" at a photo of him in custody.

But it seemed her department might not have done the same, as the photo of Hamad suggested he was almost 9ft (2.74m) tall - which would make him the world's tallest man.

The photo showed obvious signs of AI manipulation. The height chart made no sense, jumping back and forth with mangled numbers. Iraq does not use feet and inches. And a second photo of Hamad looks oddly different.

Left with egg on their faces, Australian police said they had been given the photo by authorities in Iraq. So what happened?

A report this week by the Sydney Morning Herald alleged a sinister motive. A source told the newspaper that Hamad had been abused in Iraqi custody, with the photo altered to hide the evidence. Iraqi authorities declined to comment.

Australian police said at the time that Hamad was being held in a secret location in Iraq. The arrest photo was released in February after officers in Australia travelled to Iraq to obtain "key investigative information".

Responding to journalists who pointed out the oddities, the Australian Federal Police said the pictures were supplied by the Iraqi authorities and declined to comment further.

Show caption: Hamad looks drastically different in a second photo released…

Hamad was deported from Australia in 2023, but remained "one of the most dangerous men in the world", Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council said. It said he was responsible for smuggling heroin and importing drugs into Iraq and Australia.

In July, he was handed a life sentence for drug trafficking by an Iraqi court. The council said he was linked to crime gangs involved in murder, kidnapping, extortion and money laundering. It previously said he was linked to gangs with "extensive influence" in the Middle East.

After his conviction the Iraqi council again released the unusual photo, appearing to suggest they had brought down the world's tallest man.

Ms Barrett said his arrest had led to a "lack of leadership, infighting, and dysfunction" within the syndicate, potentially offering new inroads for investigators.

Iraq has faced accusations of torture before. In 2023, nine Interior Ministry officials were dismissed over claims against a special anti-corruption task force known as Committee 29. It was alleged the committee had used torture to extract confessions.

Updated:

November 05, 2026, 12:35 PM