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2025 Duhok axe attack

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2025 Duhok axe attack
Part of Anti-Assyrian sentiment and Islamic State insurgency in Iraq (2017–present)
LocationDuhok, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Date1 April 2025
TargetAssyrians
Attack type
WeaponsCleaver
Deaths0
Injured3
Perpetrator Islamic State
AssailantLuay Abdul Rahim
No. of participants
1
MotiveAnti-Assyrian sentiment, Islamic fundamentalism
VerdictLife imprisonment

On 1 April 2025, a Syrian refugee conducted an attack against Assyrians celebrating the annual Kha b-Nisan festival in Duhok, Iraq. The perpetrator, Luay Abdul Rahim, was indoctrinated by ISIS and officially joined the group in 2024 before plotting the attack. In total, three people were injured, and Rahim was arrested immediately by security forces. Celebrations continued afterward, with an Assyrian flag used to wipe blood off one of the injured attendees later being waved as a symbol of resilience and cultural pride.

The attack saw wide condemnation from government officials and the Assyrian community. The attack also simultaneously caused concerns among Assyrians about their security in the region. Rahim's identity was revealed in a confession released on 10 April, and in January 2026, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the attack.

Timeline

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Background

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Celebrations of the Assyrian New Year began in front of the Virgin Mary Church in Duhok as participants went along the main street to a celebration square at Mazi complex.[1][2] The parade brought Assyrians from homeland and diaspora, who wore traditional clothes and waved the Assyrian flag as the celebrations continued.[3] Over 5,000 diaspora Assyrians took part in the celebrations, which marked the year 6775 in the Assyrian calendar.[4]

Attack

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The attacker initially hid the weapons in a bag until making his way to the scene of parades.[5] The attacker conducted the attack in an open marketplace, and first injured an elderly woman before turning to the parade.[2] Videos of the attack surfaced on social media that featured the attacker yelling religious phrases, namely "Islamic State,"[6] as he ran towards the marching crowd, before being restrained.[2] Three people were injured in the attack, including a minor, who was seen wiping blood off his head with the Assyrian flag. Subsequently, the bloodied flag was waved during the rest of the parade as a symbol of resilience and cultural pride.[3]

After the attack, celebrations of Akitu continued as planned, with attendees continuing to wave flags and perform traditional dances.[7]

Investigation

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The attacker was immediately arrested by the Duhok Security Directorate.[8][9] A source close to the Iraqi Shafaq News stated that the attacker had conducted the attack as a terrorist operation linked to ISIS, and published a video showcasing him being held down.[1] Investigations by the Kurdistan Region Security Council also made similar claims.[10][8][2]

Initial reports stated that the assailant was a Syrian national living in the Domiz refugee camp in Duhok.[6] On 10 April, the KRSC identified the assailant as Luay Abdul Rahim (also known as Abu Jahiman al-Baghouzi) and released a video confession from him the same day.[11] Rahim was born in Qamishli in 2003;[5][11] in the video, he stated that he became indoctrinated by ISIS after following their social media accounts and reading their publications. He eventually pledged allegiance to an emir named "Abu Hafsa al-Hashemi al-Qurashi" and joined the organization in 2024,[11] and underwent "religious and jihadist courses." He chose to carry out the attack on 1 April, since he knew it would be during Akitu festivals.[5]

The investigations confirmed that three people were injured in the attack.[12] A 17-year-old boy from Bakhdida and a 75-year-old woman from Ain Baqrah, a village near Alqosh, suffered skull fractures, while a member of local security forces was also wounded from the attack.[6][13] The woman, named Yoniyah Khoshaba, was shopping with her daughter near the parade when she was attacked.[7] She suffered a hemorrhage,[9] although she was in stable condition and did not require any surgery.[3] The 17-year-old boy, named Fardi, was treated for a skull injury before returning home.[7] His mother, Athraa Abdullah, said that he had been sending photos before she learned about the attack.[7] Former politician Srood Maqdasy, who treated the victims of the attack at a hospital, confirmed their identities in an interview with Rudaw Media Network.[5]

In January 2026, the Erbil Criminal Court issued a life imprisonment sentence to Rahim after he was convicted of carrying out the attack.[14][15]

Reactions

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Shortly after the attack, the Assyrian Democratic Movement condemned the incident, with political bureau member Ninab Yousif Toma stating that it was the first of its kind since public celebrations for the Assyrian New Year began in Duhok in the 1990s.[3] The governor of Duhok, Ali Tatar, held a press conference and publicly condemned the attack as cowardly, and emphasized the need for coexistence of ethnic and religious groups in the region.[16] The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) also wrote a condemnation of the incident, while Dr. Mohamed Al-Hassan (UNAMI's head) praised the swift response by authorities to arrest Rahim.[17] Condemnations were also offered by the Kurdistan Region Presidency,[18] the Kurdistan Region Minister of Transportation Ano Abdoka,[19] and other members of ADM.[2]

The attack was greatly condemned by members of the Assyrian community, particularly in the diaspora, who were prone to a wave of hate speech on social media following the attack.[7] The event also stirred outrage on social media and sparked concerns about the safety of Assyrians who remain in Iraq, and the willingness of the diaspora to make returns to live in the country or visit for celebrations.[6][9] ADM urged the criminalization of hate speech and extremism in response to the attack, and called for public transparency regarding investigations.[20] Ashur Sliwa Niqo, who was a senior official in the party, also called for a public trial, and urged authorities not to dismiss the attack as an isolated event.[21]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 ""اعتراف خطير".. اعتقال منفذ هجوم "أكيتو" في دهوك (فيديو)" ["A serious confession"... The perpetrator of the "Akitu" attack in Duhok has been arrested (video)] (in Arabic). Shafaq News. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Suspected ISIS attacker targets Akitu Festival in Duhok". Shafaq News. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Mirre, Christine (2025-04-07). "IRAQ: Christian Assyrians injured in axe attack during the celebration of their New Year | Human Rights Without Frontiers". hrwf.eu. Human Rights Without Frontiers International. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
  4. ↑ "Assyrian-Babylonian New Year: Duhok hosts Akitu festival". Shafaq News. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Kurdistan Region security identify ISIS-linked assailant behind attack on Christians". Erbil: Rudaw Media Network. 10 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Bechocha, Julian (1 April 2025). "Two injured in axe attack during Akitu celebrations in Duhok". www.rudaw.net. Rudaw Media Network. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Martany, Stella (April 2, 2025). "A man wielding an axe wounds 3 people at the Assyrian Christian new year parade in Iraq". Associated Press. Duhok. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  8. 1 2 "ئەنجوومەنی ئاسایش: هێرشکارەکەی سەر جەژنی ئەکیتۆ لە دهۆک هەڵگری بیروباوەڕی داعشە". Rudaw (in Central Kurdish). Rudaw Media Network. Archived from the original on 2025-04-01. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  9. 1 2 3 Roj, Kardo (2025-04-01). "Syrian National Attacks Akitu Festival Participants in Iraqi Kurdistan, Injuring Two". North Press Agency. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
  10. ↑ "ISIS conducted "Akitu Attack", KRSC reveals". Shafaq News. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
  11. 1 2 3 "ئەنجوومەنی ئاسایشی هەرێمی کوردستان: هێرشکارەکەی سەر جەژنی ئەکیتۆ فەرمانی لە سەرکردەیەکی داعش وەرگرتووە". rudaw.net (in Central Kurdish). Rudaw Media Network. 10 April 2025. Archived from the original on 2025-04-10. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
  12. ↑ "ردد عبارات داعشية.. إرهابي يصيب امرأة وشابين بـ"فأس" خلال مسيرة "أكيتو" بدهوك" [A terrorist, chanting ISIS slogans, injured a woman and two young men with an axe during an Akitu procession in Duhok.]. قناه السومرية العراقية (in Arabic). 1 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  13. ↑ "Duhok arrests suspect in Akitu festival attack". Shafaq News. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
  14. ↑ Barsom, David (2026-01-27). "Life Sentence for Akitu Axe Attack in Nohadra". The Assyria Post. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
  15. ↑ "محكمة جنايات في أربائيلو تحكم بالسجن المؤبد على منفّذ هجوم إرهابي استهدف احتفالات خا نيسون–أكيتو" [A criminal court in Arbailo sentenced the perpetrator of a terrorist attack targeting Kha Nissan-Akitu celebrations to life imprisonment]. SyriacPress Arabic (in Arabic). 2026-01-27. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
  16. ↑ "Akitu attack outrage: Governor vows justice after "cowardly act"". Shafaq News. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
  17. ↑ "UNAMI Strongly Condemns Attack on Assyrian Christians in Duhok | United Nations in Iraq". iraq.un.org. United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq. 3 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
  18. ↑ "Kurdistan Region Presidency condemns Akitu attack, vows justice for victims". en.964media.com. Erbil: 964media. 2025-04-02. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
  19. ↑ "المسيحي بقي في الإنعاش.. محافظ دهوك يوضح والآشوري يطلب العدالة بعد هجوم أكيتو" [The Christian remains in intensive care...Duhok governor explains, and the Assyrian demands justice after the Akitu attack] (in Arabic). 964media. 2025-04-01. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
  20. ↑ "Assyrian groups demand hate speech law after "Akitu Attack"". Shafaq News. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
  21. ↑ "Officials demand public trial for Akitu festival attacker". Shafaq News. 2 April 2025. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
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