Iraqi TikTok Star Ghufran Mahdi Sawadi Aka Om Fahad Shot Dead Outside Her House In Baghdad

Iraqi social media influencer Ghufran Mahdi Sawadi, known as Om Fahad, was shot dead by an armed motorcyclist in front of her home in Baghdad on Friday (April 26), as per a report in AP. The Iraqi authorities are currently investigating the killing.

All you need to know about Ghufran Mahdi Sawadi aka Um Fahad

She was popular on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. According to AP, an Iraqi security official (who asked to stay anonymous) said that an unidentified man opened fire at Fahad, who was parking her car in front of her house. After gunning her down, they took away her phone and fled the crime scene. A neighbour of Fahad, Abu Adam said he came out after hearing two shots fired and saw "Fahad's car door open and she was lying on the steering wheel.”

The neighbour continued that there was a woman in her car who escaped after the assassination. "Security forces came and sealed off the entire area, and they took the victim’s body and towed her car,” he added.

The killing took place in Zayoona, the same neighbourhood where an Iraqi researcher and security expert Hisham al-Hashimi was shot down in 2020.

Who was Ghufran Mahdi Sawadi aka Om Fahad?

Fahad had nearly a million followers across TikTok and Instagram. She used to post her dancing videos to Iraqi music and shopping and food vlogs. Some of her videos amassed more than one million views. Last year in February, she was sentenced to six months in prison as the court found her content had "indecent speech that undermines modesty and public morality".

Om Fahad was not the first influencer to be gunned down

Fahad's assassination has happened amid the rising crackdown on online freedom. Last year, Noor Alsaffar aka Noor BM, a transgender, was shot dead in the city.  The 23-year-old influencer had over 370,000 followers collectively on TikTok and Instagram. She used to post short videos guiding how to style a dress.