Om Fahad’s Shooting Caught On Video; TikToker Killed Year After Jail For ‘Indecent’ Videos
The attack on Iraqi social media influencer Om Fahad was captured on a surveillance camera and shared online.
On Friday night, the social media star, whose real name is Ghufran Sawadi, was shot dead outside her home in Zayouna, Baghdad, according to CNN. In the surveillance camera video, a gunman riding a motorcycle approached Fahad's parked black vehicle, opened the car door and allegedly opened fire, killing her on the spot.
The assailant allegedly took the social media influencer's phone as well before fleeing the scene, as per The Washington Post.
In another account, Fahad's neighbor, who identified himself by his nickname Abu Adam, claimed that he heard two shots fired so he came out to the street. With the TikToker's car door open, he said he saw her "lying on the steering wheel."
"The woman who was with her (in the car) escaped, and security forces came and sealed off the entire area, and they took the victim's body and towed her car," he added.
While the motive of the assailant has not been confirmed yet, Zayouna, where the shooting took place, was reported to be the same neighborhood where a known Iraqi researcher and security expert named Hisham al-Hashimi was gunned down in 2020.
The area was home to militia leaders, according to the outlet.
On X, a user named Scharo Maroof claimed that Fahad was often attacked by Iranian militias of Hashd Al Shaabi for "her liberal lifestyle."
Enstarz has decided not to show Maroof's tweet as it features the alleged video and some photos of Fahad's shooting.
Om Fahad was popular on TikTok for sharing dancing videos wearing form-fitting outfits. Last year, she was sentenced to six months in prison for her content that Iraq's judiciary deemed inappropriate.
She was imprisoned for "the crime of producing and publishing several films and videos containing obscene and indecent language, violating public decency and morals," according to CNN.
