US citizen Bilal Abdul Kareem released from prison by HTS in Syria
The American activist and self-styled journalist spent six months in the jihadist group's notorious prison system.
An American-born activist imprisoned by the Syrian Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has been released, the group announced today.
HTS arrested Bilal Abdul Kareem in August amid a crackdown on activists and aid workers perceived as critical to its activities and policies in Idlib province, Syria’s last remaining Arab opposition enclave.
Born Darrell Lamont Phelps, Abdul Kareem has been in Syria documenting the war from the ground since at least 2014. He has met with al-Qaeda-linked figures in the past and sued the US government in 2017 on suspicion he was on a top-secret kill list approved by the White House.
HTS’ public relations arm announced Wednesday that Abdul Kareem had been released on an appeal for amnesty, as long as the activist’s “release conditions, which are connected with public matters and his military activity,” are followed.
