ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A man from Sulaimani province’s Said Sadiq district tragically killed himself and five members of his family late Wednesday, Sulaimani police spokesperson told Rudaw on Thursday. He had recently returned from Europe.
Sarkawt Ahmed, spokesperson for Sulaimani police, told Rudaw that Bashir Salar took his own life after killing five of his family members, adding that the incident took place around midnight.
He noted that the killings were carried out with a Kalashnikov AK-47 rifle.
Ahmed also said that surveillance cameras in the area have recorded the incident and that investigation teams have obtained the footage for further investigation.
Regarding allegations that the killer was mentally unwell, the police spokesperson said that "there must be medical documents to identify the person as mentally ill," but noted that this has not been confirmed.
"A son of the family who lived in Europe returned home and issues erupted between them. As a result, he killed his family members and himself,” a relative of the family told Rudaw.
The police spokesperson said this is the first mass killing incident reported in Sulaimani province this year.
Last week, a doctor was arrested in Erbil after killing his wife, her parents and sister, using a pistol.
A women’s rights organization on Monday called for the complete abolition of polygamy in the Kurdistan Region, citing it as the root cause of a horrific crime committed in Erbil.
Firearms are easily purchased in the Kurdistan Region and there is a black market where sniper rifles and machine guns can be found for sale. An estimated 70 percent of the population own weapons.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has tried to regulate gun ownership, but shootings remain a security problem.
Updated at 9:45 pm.
