Hayat Tahrir al-Sham arrests US citizen Bilal Abdul Kareem in Syria’s Idlib
The State Department has yet to publicly acknowledge the activist's disappearance
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants arrested American-born activist Bilal Abdul Kareem in Syria’s Idlib province Thursday, his stepson said in a video posted to social media.
Abdul Kareem was taken from his car and taken into custody by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants alongside his driver, identified as Abu Mohamad al-Homsi, near the city of Atmeh in the Idlib countryside, the stepson said.
The arrest followed Abdul Kareem’s interview of Racquell Hayden-Best, wife of Tauqir Sharif, a British aid worker arrested in June by the militant group. Hayden-Best claimed on Abdul Kareem’s social media outlet, On the Ground News, that her husband had been tortured by the militants.
It was the second time in a week that Abdul Kareem had publicly discussed allegations that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has tortured captives.
