Suspect arrested in Tara Fares murder, hours after Abadi demanded action

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi police have arrested a suspect in connection with the murder of social media star Tara Fares, just hours after the prime minister demanded action on a spate of murders and abductions. 

Saad Maan, spokesperson for Iraq’s Interior Ministry, announced the arrest late on Friday, saying that an interrogation of the suspect is ongoing, state media reported. 

Fares was shot dead at the wheel of her Porsche in Baghdad this week, sparking outrage on social media. 

She is the fourth high-profile women to be killed in recent weeks. 

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered an immediate investigation into recent assassinations and abductions that he said appeared to be “organized.” He demanded results within 48 hours. 

Maan said they are taking “rapid measures” to track down suspects, “especially those involved in the killing of Tara Fares in Baghdad and a civil activist Suad al-Ali in Basra,” who was shot dead earlier this week. 

He said the perpetrators are trying to “send threatening messages to people.”