Shocking moment jihadism expert was shot dead in 'a hail of bullets' outside his home in Baghdad after warning friends he'd been threatened by Iran-backed militias
- Hisham al-Hashemi was killed by a gunman who ambushed him outside his home
- The 47-year-old was a prominent ISIS expert and adviser to Iraqi governments
- No group has yet claimed responsibility after Hashemi died in hospital yesterday
A prominent jihadism expert was shot dead in a 'hail of bullets' in Baghdad last night after receiving threats from Iran-backed militias.
Footage showed a gunman firing through the window of Hisham al-Hashemi's car after pulling up on a motorcycle and ambushing him outside his home.
No-one has claimed responsibility for the killing, but Hashemi had confided to close friends only weeks earlier that he was under threat from militia groups.
Hashemi was an authoritative voice on jihadist factions including ISIS and had worked as an adviser to multiple Iraqi governments. Last year he voiced support for protests which criticised Iranian influence in the country.
Jihadism expert Hisham al-Hashemi (pictured) was repeatedly shot at close range outside his home in Baghdad and later died of his wounds, according to Iraqi officials
Footage showed a gunman firing through the window of Hisham al-Hashemi's car after pulling up on a motorcycle and ambushing him outside his home
Mourners carry Hashemi's coffin in Baghdad today after he was ambushed and killed outside his home in the Iraqi capital last night
The security footage showed four men apparently lying in wait for Hashemi on two motorcycles near his home.
As Hashemi's car approached, one of the men got off his motorbike, followed the vehicle and drew a firearm as it parked.
After the car came to a stop, the killer fired a barrage of shots through the window on the driver's side. A family member heard five shots fired.
The gunman then fled to one of the motorcycles, which both disappeared into the darkness with two riders on the back of each one.
The footage subsequently showed people dragging Hashemi's body out of the car in an apparent attempt to help him, but he was pronounced dead in hospital soon afterwards.
Investigators had earlier said that Hashemi had been getting into his car when gunmen fired at him from metres away, but this was not visible in the footage.
A medical source at the hospital confirmed that Hashemi had suffered 'a hail of bullet wounds in several body parts.'He passed away and his body is now in the hospital freezer,' said Saad Maan, head of the ministry's media relations department.
Hashemi was well connected with top decision-makers, including Iraqi president Barham Saleh, but was also used as a mediator by rival parties and armed groups.
He had worked as an adviser to former prime minister Haider al-Abadi and informally for current PM Mustafa al-Kadhemi, a government official said.
Hashemi was also an expert on the inner workings of ISIS and even advised the US-led coalition during its years-long battle with the extremists.
But after Iraq declared victory over ISIS in December 2017, he increasingly turned his attention to the Iran-backed militias that helped to defeat ISIS and now wield considerable power in the country with thousands of heavily armed fighters.
Friends had advised him to flee to the northern city of Irbil, in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, after receiving threats.
Kadhemi swore he would hold Hashemi's killers to account. 'We vow to his killers that we will pursue them so they are justly punished. We will not allow assassinations to return to Iraq for a single second,' he said.
Hisham al-Hashemi's brother is assisted by a man wearing a mask during a funeral procession in Baghdad today
Mourners transport the coffin of the slain jihadism expert, who had confided in friends that he had received threats from Iran-backed militias
The crime scene by day: Police tape surrounds the area where Hisham al-Hashemi was shot dead outside his Baghdad home on Monday night
Raised in Baghdad, Hashemi published several books on jihadism, then went on to work with top research centres including Chatham House in London and most recently the Center for Global Policy in Washington DC.
He had come out strongly in favour of the popular protests that erupted across Baghdad and Iraq's Shiite-majority south in October, which had slammed the government as corrupt, inefficient and beholden to neighbouring Iran.
More than 500 people lost their lives in protest-related violence, including several prominent activists who were gunned down in Baghdad, Basra in the south and other cities gripped by the rallies.
Hashemi was also frequently consulted by media and foreign governments on domestic Iraqi politics and Shiite armed groups.
High-profile political killings have otherwise been rare in recent years, but Hashemi was no stranger to threats.
In September, anonymous online accounts accused him and a dozen other Iraqi activists, researchers and journalists of 'collaborating with Israel.'
In April, he was threatened again by anonymous Twitter users who deemed him too close to the US government.
Mourners embrace each other in Baghdad's Zayouna district today, the day after Hashemi was killed by a gunman who fired shots through his car window
Iraqi prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi (pictured left), for whom Hashemi had worked informally as an adviser, has vowed to bring the killers to justice. Right is foreign minister Fuad Hussein
'Cowards killed my friend and one of the brightest researchers in Iraq, Hisham al-Hashemi. I am shocked,' wrote Harith Hasan, who was an academic researcher before becoming an advisor to Iraq's current premier.
The UN's top official in Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert slammed the killing as a 'despicable act of cowardice.'
'Our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. I call on the government to quickly identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice,' she said.
Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, a state-sponsored network of armed factions including many who are close to Iran, published a statement mourning Hashemi's death.
'We demand security forces follow up on this crime and catch the terrorist group that assassinated Hashemi, considered one of the most prominent writers and experts on IS terrorist groups, and who had a huge role in uncovering their secrets,' it said.
It comes at a time of rising tension between Kadhemi's government and powerful Iran-backed militias and political parties who accuse him of siding with the US.
The United States wants the Iraqi government to put a stop to regular rocket attacks on US facilities, which Washington blames on Iran-backed militias.
Iran's allies in Iraq demand a withdrawal of US troops from the country, which the United States invaded in 2003.
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