Akitu attacker used axe, chanted ‘Islamic State’ while being arrested

NOHADRA, Kurdistan Region of Iraq — A young man and an elderly woman were injured in an axe attack on a procession celebrating Kha Nison–Akitu, the Babylonian-Assyrian New Year, in Nohadra (Duhok), Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI).

Ninos Odisho, a leader in the Assyrian Democratic Movement, the organizer of this annual procession, told Asia News that a bearded man attacked an elderly woman and her daughter as they watched the procession, and then attacked a young man, Striking him in the head. Odisho praised the efforts of the youth on the organizing committee, which comprises approximately 200 young men and women, who accompany the procession and oversee its smooth flow and protection, and who responded quickly to the situation.

Odisho considered the attack a terrorist attack. He explained that the assailant raised his finger and chanted the phrase “Islamic State” upon his arrest, as seen in a video of the incident, causing panic among the participants.

He pointed out that this march is organized annually, with the participation of tens of thousands of celebrants from across Iraq and the world. Approximately 20,000 people participated in this year’s march.

UPDATE: One of the local Assyrians who disarmed the attacker speaks on the terrorist axe attack during Akitu. pic.twitter.com/utxX2erlmL

— Ashuriena ܐܫܘܪܝܢܐ (@ashuriena) April 1, 2025