Iraqi Social Media Influencer Umm Fahad Fatally Shot in Baghdad
Popular Iraqi influencer Umm Fahad, also known as Ghufran Sawadi, tragically lost her life in a fatal shooting incident outside her residence in Baghdad, Iraq. The heartbreaking incident, confirmed by a source from the Baghdad police to CNN, occurred on a Friday night.
Iraqi social media star Umm Fahad, whose real name is Ghufran Sawadi, was tragically killed outside her home in Baghdad on Friday night. According to a source from the Baghdad police, she was shot dead.
The incident occurred in the Zayouna area in the eastern part of Baghdad and was recorded by a surveillance camera. The video, which has been circulating on social media, shows a gunman on a motorcycle shooting and fatally injuring Sawadi. A Baghdad police source has verified the authenticity of the video.
The country’s Interior Minister announced on Friday the formation of a specialized work team to investigate the killing of a woman by unknown assailants, who was known on social media.
Sawadi, a popular TikTok user, gained fame for sharing videos of herself dancing to pop music in snug outfits. However, these videos were previously criticized by Iraq’s judiciary. Sawadi was sentenced to six months in prison for producing and publishing videos with inappropriate language and content, violating public decency and morals, according to a statement from the Iraqi judiciary.
Screenshot of Noor Alsaffar's Titktok video, posted July 2020.
Screenshot of Noor Alsaffar's Titktok video, posted July 2020.
From Noor Alsaffar/TikTok
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Prominent Iraqi TikToker fatally shot in Baghdad amid crackdown on LGBTQ community
Other Iraqi social media personalities have previously been targeted in deadly attacks.
Noor Alsaffar, also known as Noor BM, a well-known TikTok personality from Iraq, was tragically killed in Baghdad in September 2023, according to an Iraqi security source reported by CNN.
With a large following of over 370,000 on Instagram and TikTok, Alsaffar shared videos on topics such as fashion, hair, makeup, and dancing to music.
Many people expressed sadness over Alsaffar's death after the shooting incident was reported. However, there were also individuals who praised the shooter, seeing him as a hero.
The tragic event of Alsaffar's killing occurred amidst Iraq's increasing restrictions on LGBTQ rights, with attempts to outlaw LGBTQ expression.
CNN’s Aqeel Najim reported from Baghdad, Nechirvan Mando from Erbil and Duarte Mendonca from London.
