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Souleyman (center) is being led away by police in Urfa
Photo: STR / AFP
Syrian singer Omar Souleyman was temporarily arrested in Turkey.
The police in the southeast Turkish city of Urfa have been holding Souleyman since Wednesday, said a source close to the singer of the German press agency.
Nothing is known about the allegations.
On Thursday evening, local media reported that Omar Souleyman had been transferred to a refugee camp after a medical examination at the instigation of the governorate and that his deportation had been requested.
Souleyman is from Syria, where he originally worked as a wedding singer, and has lived in Turkey for several years.
The 55-year-old is known for songs like »Warni Warni« and his unique mix of techno and folklore typical of the Middle East.
Souleyman's melodic mixture of electronic and traditional music has earned him international recognition.
Among other things, he worked with the musician Björk and Damon Albarn from the group Blur.
In December 2013 he performed at the presentation of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.
The British Guardian reported that Souleyman was accused of being a member of the banned Kurdish workers' party PKK.
However, this was not initially confirmed as the reason for the arrest from Souleyman's environment.
feb / dpa