Al-Hamdani, a producer for the privately owned Nahrain satellite channel, was killed in a shooting that involved U.S. military forces, according to a station source and a relative. Al-Hamdani was driving at high speed from his home in Abu Ghraib to work in Baghdad when troops opened fire, the relative told CPJ. The source said al-Hamdani had often driven at high speed to minimize danger; the military patrol was apparently alarmed by the rate of speed. The road, a main access to Baghdad, was so notoriously dangerous that it was called the Highway of Death.
The relative told CPJ that his account was based on conversations with U.S. military personnel and eyewitnesses. A U.S. military spokesman said the military had no record of the shooting.
Al-Hamadani, 36, prepared documentary and cultural programs for the channel. He was survived by a wife and children.