Journalists Killed in 2016 - Motive Confirmed: Ibrahim Omar

Ibrahim Omar
Al Jazeera
July 11, 2016, in Tarmanin, Idlib, Syria

Ibrahim Omar, a contributor to Al Jazeera's live-feed TV channel, Al Jazeera Mubashar, was killed in an air raid on the northern Syrian town of Tarmanin, in Idlib, on July 11, 2016, Al Jazeera said. The channel accused Russia of carrying out the attack.

In a statement published July 11, Al Jazeera said Omar was one of 13 people who died when Russian warplanes struck a fuel market in Tarmanin.

omar was covering the airstrikes in the area for al jazeera at the time of his death, the channel reported in a program commemorating his life.

The Syrian channel Halab Today published footage of emergency workers racing to put out the blaze from the burning fuel trucks. The anti-government outlet said only three people had been killed in the airstrike, but also blamed Russia for carrying out the attack.

Al Jazeera did not respond to CPJ's repeated emails seeking information about Omar's death and Russia's involvement.

The Russian Defense Ministry likewise did not respond to CPJ's emailed request for comment on the July 11 attack.

An Al Jazeera reporter in Syria who had worked with Omar in the past told CPJ that he believed Russia carried out the attack. He said Omar had covered fighting in Idlib and Aleppo for Al Jazeera for more than a year and was an experienced cameraman. The reporter requested that CPJ not use his name because he was not authorized to speak on behalf of the channel.