Prominent anti-Iran activist assassinated in Iraq

Unknown gunmen assassinated prominent Iraqi activist, Ihab Al-Wazni, in front of his home in the southern city of Karbala.

Home surveillance cameras captured the moments of his death. The footage showed Al-Wazni being shot to death by two gunmen who were on a motorcycle. He was parking his car in front of his home in the predominantly Shia city. Al-Wazni was a vocal opponent of Iran’s influence in Iraq and Tehran-linked armed groups in the country.

The Iraqi Security Media Cell said in a statement that the Karbala police force immediately formed a specialised team to investigate the crime and is mobilising all efforts to locate the perpetrators.

Protests erupted in the city following Al-Wazni’s funeral, with demonstrators calling for Iranian forces to be forced out of Iran and setting fire to the Iranian consulate in the area.

https://twitter.com/NafisaAbdel/status/1391588606532222978?s=20

The Iraqi government says nearly 560 Iraqi activists have been assassinated during anti-government protests which erupted in October 2019.

READ: Gunmen kill police officer, wound 5 in Kirkuk, Iraq