Instagram model shot dead in car in Baghdad

Iraqi model and Instagram star Tara Fares has been shot dead at the wheel of her Porsche convertible in central Baghdad, sending ripples on social media.

The interior ministry opened a probe into Thursday’s murder of the 22-year-old who suffered “three fatal bullet wounds”. She was based in Iraqi Kurdistan and rarely travelled to her native Baghdad.

Fares, a fashionista with 2.7 million followers on Instagram for her pictures sporting tattoos and different hair colours, was a victim of her fame and targeted because of her lifestyle, Twitter users wrote.

“A young model was simply enjoying & loving life like other girls. Unfortunately she got [shot] & killed by few militants,” one wrote. “This Thursday it was Tara. Next Thursday, who will it be?” another wrote.