Iraqi TV presenter Riad al-Saray shot dead in Baghdad

Riad al-Saray, an Iraqi television presenter, has been shot dead. He was killed at 06.00 am (03.00 GMT) on Tuesday in western Baghdad by unknown gunmen while he was heading to his work place in Karbala. Saray presented several political and religious programs on al-Iraqiya TV.

Television journalist Ahmed al-Mullah said that traffic police saw Saray's car veer off the road and crash but did not hear any gunshots. He said that police have reported a silencer was used in what is thought to have been a planned attack. In addition to being a television presenter, Saray was also a trained lawyer, and served on the local council of a Shiite neighborhood.

Human rights organization Reporters Without Borders released a statement stating, "Reporters Without Borders calls for a proper investigation capable of identifying and arresting both the perpetrators and instigators of this murder and bringing them to justice. It would be deplorable it this killing were to go unpunished, which unfortunately has been the case in 99 per cent of the 230 murders of journalists and media workers since the US-led invasion in 2003."

Saray's death brings the death toll of al-Iraqiya journalists killed since the removal of Saddam Hussien to 15. A total of 230 journalists and media assistants have been killed in Iraq since the 2003 U.S invasion.