Iraqi social media celebrity Om Fahad assassinated in Baghdad
The TikTok influencer Om Fahad, actual name Ghufran Sawadi. Photo: Getty Images
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Officials in Baghdad said that a well-known social media personality was shot and killed outside her residence in the Iraqi capital.
The Iraqi Ministry of Interior mentioned in a statement on Friday that that the TikTok influencer Om Fahad, actual name Ghufran Sawadi, was shot inside her car on Friday by unidentified gunmen.
Al Sharqiya news outlet published footage of the attack showing a shooter on a motorcycle shooting her to death in the Zayne neighborhood in eastern Baghdad.
According to the Interior Ministry, a dedicated task team has been formed to investigate the events that led to her death.
An Iraqi security source said that the assailant pretended to be a food delivery person for the victim, the AFP news agency reported.
Local media also reported that there was apparently another woman injured in the incident.
The influencer gained popularity by posting videos of herself dancing while dressing tight clothes. She created playful videos and danced to Iraqi pop music, quickly becoming popular and gaining millions of fans.
Certain segments of Iraq’s traditional Muslim majority population were offended by her videos.
Om Fahad was sentenced to six-month in February 2023 for posting videos online that featured offensive language belittling modesty and public decency.