It took less than 46 seconds for the helmeted assassin to pull over his motorcycle, walk to the driver’s side of the S.U.V., yank open the door and fire his handgun four times, killing one of Iraq’s most prominent TikTok personalities, a 30-year-old woman whose name on social media was Um Fahad.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry, which released the video, said it had formed a committee to investigate her death.
The victim, whose real name was Ghufran Mahdi Sawadi, had become popular on social media sites, especially TikTok and Instagram, where her videos showed her wearing tight or revealing clothing, or singing and cuddling her young son.
They won her some 460,000 followers, but also drew the ire of conservatives in Iraqi society and in the government.
At one point, officials ordered Ms. Sawadi jailed for 90 days, reprimanding her for a post that showed her dancing at her 6-year old son’s birthday party.
Persons:
yank, Fahad, Mahdi Sawadi, cuddling, Sawadi, reprimanding
Organizations:
Iraqi Interior Ministry
Locations:
Baghdad