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Omar Souleyman detained in Turkey — reports

November 17, 2021

Police reportedly arrested the artist, whose videos have reached 94 million hits online, over suspected links with the Kurdish militant group the PKK after an alleged visit to a Syrian region they control.

https://p.dw.com/p/4383H
The Syrian singer, songwriter and musician Omar Souleyman performs a live concert at Rockefeller in Oslo
Souleyman is renowned for never removing his dark sunglasses wherever he goesImage: Gonzales/Photoshot/picture alliance

Turkish police on Wednesday arrested the internationally famous Syrian singer and DJ Omar Souleyman over alleged ties with a Kurdish terror group, his manager told the French AFP news agency.

Authorities from the southern Turkish city of Sanliurfa brought Souleyman in for questioning over allegations he was a member of the Kurdish Worker's Party (PKK), according to local media reports. 

Why was Souleyman arrested?

Turkish media reported that Sanliurfa security forces raided Souleyman's home and detained the star in his neighborhood of Karakopru on charges of "being a member of an armed terrorist organization."

After a health check, the 55-year-old was taken to the central police station for questioning.

The arrest follows media reports that he had travelled to an area of Syria controlled by a PKK offshoot group, YPG, which has been allied to the US in the fight against so-called "Islamic State" (IS) insurgents.

A female member of the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), a militia affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), carries a sniper and an AK-47 rifle in the village of Umm al-Dhiban, northern Iraq
Groups allied with the PKK in northern Syria and Iraq fought against Islamic State insurgentsImage: Reuters/G. Tomasevic

His manager, who asked not to be identified, told AFP he expected Souleyman to be released later on Wednesday.

Authorities have arrested and jailed thousands around the country on terrorist charges in the past decade. They include philanthropist Osman Kavala, despite EU calls to free him.

Turkey, the US and the EU view the PKK as a terrorist group after its insurgency against the Turkish state claimed thousands of lives.

Who is Omar Souleyman?

Souleyman, who sings his songs in Arabic and Kurdish, is originally Syrian but escaped the country's civil war in 2011. He then set up his own bakery in Sanliurfa, near the border with his home country.

He rose to fame for his unique mix of dance and Halay folk music, even performing at the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo.

Souleyman recorded with the Icelandic Björk and British rock band Blur frontman Damon Albarn. He also performed at the Glastonbury Festival in England.

The official video for his 2013 song "Warni Warni" got 94 million views on YouTube.

Article by John Culatto, edited by Farah Bahgat