An Iraqi TikTok star, popularly known as Om Fahad, has been shot dead in a late-night attack outside her home in eastern Baghdad's Zayouna district.
The CCTV footage revealed the assailant wearing dark clothing getting off a motorcycle with his helmet on approaching a black SUV before the shooting. Fahad was sitting inside the car.
The Interior Ministry said that it had set up a team to investigate the murder.
Ghufran Sawadi aka Om Fahad was a popular TikTok star with nearly half a million followers. She used to post videos of herself dancing to Iraqi music wearing tight clothing outfits.
In February last year, she had been sentenced to six months in prison by a court for putting up videos containing "indecent speech that undermines modesty and public morality".
The sentencing came after the Iraqi Interior Ministry in January launched a committee to discover "obscene and degrading content" posted online by influencers like Om Fahad to safeguard "morals and family traditions" in society.
Not just Fahad, but more influencers were jailed at the time of the crackdown.
This is not the first incident in Iraq when it comes to the murder of influencers. Noor Alsaffar, a 23-year-old TikToker with hundreds of thousands of followers, was shot dead in September 2023. Tara Fares, a 22-year-old model and influencer, was shot dead by gunmen in 2018.
