Sunni Muslims attribute the mosque to be the burying ground of Ghulam al-Khallal, a famous Islamic jurist of the Hanbali school of thought.

Shi'i Muslims attribute and claim that the entombed is Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Uthman, the second of the Four Deputies of the 12th Imam.

[8] Prime Minister at the time Nouri al-Maliki issued a statement and blamed the attack on "Saddamists" and "takfiris" who were trying to destroy the landmarks of Baghdad and its image.

Unidentified gunmen in white pickup trucks wearing ski masks then arrived from the direction of Abdul-Qadir al-Gilani Mausoleum and then opened fire on protesters killing 25 (including three police officers) and injuring around 130 others.

[10] At the time of the shooting, one thousand protestors were present and witnesses recounted that the protesters were gathered peacefully and not threatening any violent acts.

Furthermore, the electricity in the square went out for about an hour until after the incident was done and many eyewitnesses at the event reported strange behaviors from unknown figures who were present at the attack.