Iraqi influencer Ghufran Sawadi, known on TikTok as Om Fahad, was shot dead on Friday (26) in front of her home in the Zayne neighborhood of eastern Baghdad. The death was disclosed in a statement from the Iraqi Interior Ministry, which said a “woman known on social media” was killed by “unknown criminals.”
Fahad was allegedly shot while inside her car, by a person who was passing by on a motorcycle and shot the influencer. According to information from the AFP news agency, the attacker was disguised as a food delivery man. Another woman was also injured in the attack, according to local media.
The Iraqi government said a specialized task force had been set up to investigate the case. The influencer had more than 450 followers on TikTok and became known on the platform for sharing videos dancing in tight clothes, something considered offensive by the country’s laws.
In 2023 she was tried in court and sentenced to six months in prison for sharing the videos, with the justification that the content undermined “modesty and public morality”. After the repercussions of the case, the government launched a committee to monitor social networks and punish content producers who were considered offensive.
According to local media, Om Fahad is said to have a feud with another influencer, known as the “Iraqi Barbie,” Dalia Naeem. Dalia threatened to expose her rival’s alleged relationship with members of the country’s government.
