by WorldTribune Staff, September 1, 2016
Turkey has arrested an American journalist for “violating a military zone” after she returned from Syria, a U.S. official said on Aug. 31.
Lindsey Snell was detained on Aug. 6, and U.S. consular officials were not able to visit her until Aug. 26, State Department spokesman John Kirby said.
Snell, a Muslim, is an Istanbul-based video journalist who has contributed to MSNBC, Vice News and ABC.
In an Aug. 5 tweet, she referred to having been imprisoned for ten days by terrorists from then-Al Qaida affiliate Nusra Front before escaping with the aid of a “brave man on a motorcycle.”
On her Facebook page, also on Aug. 5, she said she had been able to document her time in Nusra’s captivity with her cellphone: “A cave prison (the previous tenant of my cell had marked his days in residence in blood on the walls), masked villains, motorcycle escapes and disguises. I can’t wait to share the details.”
Kirby told reporters in Washington the Snell “is currently being held at a prison facility in Hatay province.”
Hatay is a far southern province of Turkey that borders Syria’s Aleppo governorate, currently the scene of fierce fighting between Syrian government forces and anti-Assad rebel groups.