Iraqi Heavy Metal Fan Shot To Death Because He Worked For Americans

July 6, 2003

Ellen Barry and Rebecca Bou Chebel of the Boston Globe report that a 27-year-old Iraqi interpreter for American soldiers was shot to death in Baghdad Wednesday (July 2) after he had reportedly had received a series of threats because he worked for Americans. Word of the shooting has spread quickly among the young Iraqis who lined up by the thousands after the fall of Baghdad for the opportunity to translate for U.S. troops, usually for $10 per day.

For Omid Lua'i, a student of fine arts whose consuming passion was heavy metal music, working for Americans was one of the proudest acts of his life, his parents said. His bedroom is a shrine to the music he loved: Plastered from corner to corner are posters for MEGADETH, MOTÖRHEAD, SLAYER, and VIXEN. In magic marker on the door to his room is penned, in spiky lettering, "OZZFEST". A photograph of one of the American soldiers he befriended is carefully secured in a drawer. Read more.

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