Iraqi TikTok influencer Om Fahad was shot dead in her car in Baghdad this Friday (26). A statement from the Iraqi Interior Ministry said a “woman known on social media” was killed by “unknown assailants.”
Fahad, whose real name is Ghufran Sawadi, was reportedly shot while standing outside her home in the Zayne neighborhood, east of the capital. A person on a motorcycle shot the influencer.
An Iraqi security source told AFP news agency that the attacker appeared to be pretending to make a food delivery. According to local media, another woman was injured in the attack.
The government reported that a specialized work team was created to investigate the death of the influencer, who became known on TikTok for sharing videos dancing to pop music wearing tight clothes.
She has more than 450 thousand followers on the social network. Her latest video, published six days ago, has almost two million views. Last year, Fahad was sentenced to six months in prison for sharing videos. At the time, the court considered that the videos harmed “modesty and public morality”.
After the repercussion of the case, the Iraqi government launched a government committee to monitor social networks and punish those responsible for content considered offensive.
The local press also reports a rivalry between Fahad and influencer Dalia Naeem, known as “Iraqi Barbie”. Naeem threatened to expose Fahad’s alleged relationship with senior Iraqi authorities.
