IRAQ- An Iraqi man has been hailed as a hero after he hugged an ISIS suicide bomber just before the jihadist detonated his explosives, saving hundreds of lives.

Najih Shaker Al-Baldawi, from Balad city, embraced the attacker just before the man entered the town’s Sayyed Mohammad Shrine, Al Masdar News reported.

ISIS bombers were disguised as local militia in an attempt to destroy one of Iraq’s most important Shia shrines.

Only 37 were killed and 70 injured thanks to the noble act by the Muslim man, whose body took the impact of the explosion, which could have left hundreds dead.

ISIS issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack, saying five jihadists took part, fighting Iraqi forces for hours before detonating their explosives and starting a fire at the shrine.

The bombers failed to get into the sacred place, with two blowing themselves up and a third shot dead by security guards.

Mr Al-Baldawi’s bravery came just days after an attack in Iraq’s Karrada area that claimed more than 300 lives, the deadliest single attack in the country since the war started.

Jan Kubis, the UN’s top Iraq envoy, said in a statement: “It is clear the cowardly attack on the shrine aims to spark sectarian tensions and drag Iraq back to the dark days of sectarian conflict.”

In a statement issued on Friday, Hezbollah said the latest bloody attack confirmed that terrorists are willing to indiscriminately target Muslims, Christians, Sunnites and Shiites, with no regard for the sanctity of blood, time or place, Al-Manar reported.