A famous TikTok influencer was murdered in front of her house. The attacker pretended to deliver food to her and shot her

An Iraqi TikTok star was shot dead in his own car outside his home in the Zayouna neighborhood of Baghdad on Friday. The attacker has not been identified and is still being sought by authorities, reports Sky News, citing AFP.

Om Fahad, whose real name is Ghufran Sawadi, was shot in her own car by a man who pretended to be delivering her food. Her assistant, Nour al Suwaidi, was also injured in the attack.

Surveillance footage shows a gunman on a motorcycle drive past the parked car and then park behind a nearby wall.

The attacker then got off the motorcycle and walked a few meters to the vehicle before opening fire with a pistol. He then ran back to the motorcycle and sped away.

Images released by authorities show Om Fahad’s lifeless body slumped in her seat and at least three bullet holes in a car window.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances of the murder as they try to track down the attacker.

Om Fahad became famous for videos of her dancing to Iraqi music and was watched by almost half a million people on TikTok.

She was jailed for six months last February for sharing videos that a court said contained “indecent speech that undermines public modesty and morality”.

The Iraqi government launched a campaign in 2023 to crack down on content on social media that violates the country’s “morals and traditions.”

Iraq’s interior ministry has set up a committee to search for “offensive” videos on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, and several influencers have been arrested.

“This type of content is no less dangerous than organized crime,” the Ministry said in a promotional video asking the public to help by reporting such content.

“It is one of the causes of the destruction of the Iraqi family and society,” the institution also states.

Last year, Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman Saad Maan claimed that this moralizing campaign “has nothing to do with freedom of expression.”

In 2018, gunmen in Baghdad fatally shot model and influencer Tara Fares.

Publisher: CLB

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