Hussein, an Iraqi photographer working for the German-based European
Pressphoto Agency (EPA), was killed by a group of gunmen in front
of his home in the northern city of Mosul. The precise motive was
not immediately known, but Hussein’s colleagues believe it was connected
to his work for a foreign news organization.
The gunmen attacked Hussein as he returned home from an Internet café
across the street, according to a colleague who spoke to the journalist’s
family. The colleague said Hussein was shot first in the leg before
the assailants pursued him and shot him dead at close range.
Another colleague told CPJ that Hussein had received a written threat
about six months before his death, when he worked for another international
news organization. The threat, according to the colleague, warned
Hussein to stop his work and accused him of being a “traitor.”