A suspect in the murder of Syrian opposition activist Orouba Barakat and her 22-year-old journalist daughter Halla Barakat in İstanbul was caught on Saturday in Bursa province based on camera footage.
Police had searched the house of the suspect, identified as Ahmad Barakat, a relative of the victims, according to reports in Turkish media.
The Syrian mother and daughter were found last Friday morning with their throats slashed in their İstanbul apartment.
Orouba Barakat conducted interviews to investigate alleged torture in prisons by the Syrian government. She published interviews in English and in Arabic to raise awareness about the situation in Syrian prisons. Barakat lived in Britain and the United Arab Emirates before coming to Istanbul.
Halla Barakat was working as an editor for Orient News, which publishes reports about the Middle East.
“The hand of tyranny and injustice assassinated my sister Doctor Orouba and her daughter Halla in their apartment in Istanbul,” Orouba’s sister Shaza wrote on social media. Shaza said her sister pursued and exposed criminals.
Turkey hosts almost 3 million Syrian refugees, many of whom oppose President Bashar al-Assad. (turkishminute.com)
