American-born journalist Bilal Abdul Karim has been arrested by Syrian security forces on Monday as he left for prayers in al-Bab, in northern Aleppo province, where he lives.

Karim has been reporting in Syria since 2012. He has worked with international media outlets including CNN, BBC, and Sky News. He has long reported on the Syrian conflict and its aftermath, as well as the activities of extremist groups. There has been no immediate response from security forces or Syrian government officials, and there was no immediate response from the US. According to international media, Karim has been sharply critical of Syria's new leadership and the decisions it has made in the past few months. He also criticized the government's decision last August to deny citizenship to foreign extremist fighters, which has fueled political competition and discontent in the local context. According to international media outlet Reuters, Karim was previously captured by the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in 2020, where he was briefly detained. There is currently no concrete information about the reasons for his detention, official charges or legal proceedings. However, his supporters have criticized the move as a deadly blow to freedom of expression and the press.