The organization also verified footage from Baghdad that corroborated testimony of witnesses who described the arrival of fleets of gunmen.
Witnesses describe how “endless gunmen” arrived in pick-up trucks and minivans whilst others who had mingled with the crowd shot and stabbed protesters and attacked and set fire to parts of the Garage al-Sinak building.
“The testimony we have a gathered leaves little doubt that this was a well-coordinated attack and raises serious questions as to how heavily-armed gunmen in a fleet of vehicles were seemingly able to pass through Baghdad’s checkpoints and inflict such a bloody onslaught,” said Lynn Maalouf, Middle East Research Director at Amnesty International.