Latest news with #TurkishAmerican
Dubai Eye
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Dubai Eye
Anger at US grows in West Bank over killing of Palestinian American
Frustration among Palestinians towards the US has intensified following the killing of two young men, including a Palestinian American, by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank town of Al-Mazra'a Ash-Sharqiya. Mourners packed the streets on Sunday as the victims were laid to rest. According to Palestinian health authorities and eyewitnesses, Sayfollah Musallet, 21, was beaten to death, while Hussein Al-Shalabi, 23, was shot in the chest during a confrontation on Friday evening. Most of the small town's roughly 3,000 residents share family ties to the US and many hold citizenship, including Musallet, who was killed weeks after flying to visit his mother in Al-Mazr'a Ash-Sharqiya, where he travelled most summers from Tampa, Florida. 'There's no accountability,' said his father, Kamel Musallet, who flew in from the US to bury his son. 'We demand the United States government do something about it... I don't want his death to go in vain.' Israeli killings of US citizens in the West Bank in recent years include those of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, Palestinian American teenager Omar Mohammad Rabea and Turkish American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi. A spokesperson for the US State Department said on Friday that it was aware of the latest incident but declined to comment further 'out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones'. When pressed on Sunday about whether the US would pursue an investigation, the spokesperson referred questions to the Israeli government, reiterating that Washington 'has no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas'. The Israeli military stated that an investigation had been opened. It claimed that settlers were lightly injured after Palestinians threw stones, prompting confrontations. Musallet's family said medics were prevented from reaching him for nearly three hours. His brother eventually carried him to an ambulance, but Musallet died en route to the hospital. Eighteen-year-old Domi, a resident who returned to Al-Mazra'a Ash-Sharqiya from the US four years ago, said fear had gripped the community since the incident. His parents are now considering sending him back to the US for safety. 'If people have sons like this, they're going to want to send them back to America because it's just not safe for them,' he said. Still, he expressed a sense of conflicted loyalty. 'I want to stay near our land, where my family has farmed for generations. But it feels like a betrayal — the US should be doing more to protect us here.' Rights groups report that settler violence in the West Bank has surged since Israel's war on Gaza began in late 2023. While dozens of Israelis have also been killed in Palestinian attacks in recent years, the Israeli military has significantly intensified its operations across the West Bank. Approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war. In January, US President Donald Trump rescinded sanctions previously imposed by the Biden administration on Israeli settler groups and individuals accused of violence against Palestinians.
Hindustan Times
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Who was Saifullah Musallet? 20-year-old US citizen beaten to death in West Bank
A Palestinian American man was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, and another man was shot and killed, according to a statement from the Palestinian Health Ministry, the incident unfolded during the night. Saifullah Musallet Musallet traveled to the West Bank last month to spend time with relatives. (@maitelsadany/ X) Saifullah Musallet Musallet traveled to the West Bank last month to spend time with relatives, according to The Times Of Israel. Who was Saifullah Musallet ? 20-year-old US citizen, Saifullah Musallet who was also known as Saif was beaten to death during night in Sinjil, a town north of Ramallah, according to ministry. Another man, 23-year-old Hussein Al-Shalabi, was also shot in the chest. Musallet's family based in Tampa, Florida said that the medics were not able to reach Musallet for three hours. Eventually, his brother carried him to an ambulance, but he died before they made it to the hospital. The family said in a statement, 'This is an unimaginable nightmare and injustice that no family should ever have to face. We demand the US State Department lead an immediate investigation and hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif accountable for their crimes." A spokesperson for the US State Department said Friday that they were aware of the incident. But they added there wouldn't be any more comment 'out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones' of the reported victim. Also Read: Who was Tiffany Valiante? All about US teenager's unsolved death in 2015 Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli settlers The Israeli military said it is looking into what happened in Sinjil. Officials said the fight began when Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli settlers, hurting some of them slightly. Military forces were sent to the scene and used non-lethal means to break up the crowds. Rights groups say violence by settlers in the West Bank has increased since Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza started in late 2023. Meanwhile, dozens of Israelis have also died in street attacks by Palestinians in recent years, and Israeli forces have stepped up their raids across the West Bank. In January, US President Donald Trump removed sanctions that the earlier Biden administration had placed on some Israeli settlers and groups accused of attacking Palestinians in the West Bank, according to Reuters report. US citizens killed in the West Bank Over the past few years, other US citizens have been killed in the West Bank too — including Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, teenager Omar Mohammad Rabea, and Turkish American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi. Last year the UN's highest court stated that Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands such as the West Bank, as well as settlements located there, was illegal and should soon come to an end. This was not an agreement by Israel, which continues to assert its deep historical and biblical ties to the land which it took during the 1967 war in the Middle East. West Bank is one of the regions Palestinians would like to have as part of their own independent country.
CBS News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Left-wing streamer Hasan Piker says he was detained, asked "Do you like Donald Trump?" at Chicago O'Hare
U.S.-born left-wing streamer Hasan Piker says he was questioned for hours at O'Hare U.S.-born left-wing streamer Hasan Piker says he was questioned for hours at O'Hare U.S.-born left-wing streamer Hasan Piker says he was questioned for hours at O'Hare Popular Twitch streamer and political commentator Hasan Piker, who has more than 2 million followers on the live-streaming platform, said he was detained and questioned by federal authorities at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport for more than two hours after arriving in the U.S. on an international flight. This happened as Piker, 33, was headed to speak at the University of Chicago on Sunday after he returned from a family vacation in Paris. Piker, a prominent Turkish American live streamer who has openly spoken out against the war in Gaza, told the Institute of Politics crowd at UChicago that he believes he was targeted at O'Hare for his criticism of the Trump administration. No video of the interaction has surfaced — but Piker had some specific claims about his interaction with U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents. "They took me to the back room, into a detention center. An agent came out and took me into the interrogation room … and they started asking me about crazy [expletive], like, 'Do you like Donald Trump?'" he said. The American-born Twitch streamer and left-wing political commentator recounted at length to his millions of followers his two-hour encounter with federal agents after he arrived in Chicago from Paris. He claims he was asked not only about the president, but he was also questioned about his opinions on Israel, Hamas and the Houthi rebels in Yemen. "Everything I've done is fully protected under the First Amendment, OK?" Piker said. "And none of these questions are actually valid questions to ask." Piker said this applies no matter what one's political beliefs are. "It's illegal for them to even ask me those questions, like, they can't deny me entry into my own country," Piker said. "It's like, even if I was like, 'I love Hamas,' they can't do that. Like, what do you mean?" U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin acknowledged that Piker was detained, but took issue with his account of what happened. McLaughlin said: "This is nothing but lying for likes. Claims that his political beliefs triggered the inspection are baseless. Our officers are following the law, not agendas." Piker, who said he has Global Entry, the CBP program for pre-approved and low-risk travelers, addressed McLaughlin's comments on a Tuesday live stream. "They openly admit to it taking place, right?" he said. "Saying that I'm lying for likes is very funny, because they don't even deny that it took place (or) deny that it was a political targeting." CBS News Chicago took the issue to legal analyst Irv Miller, who said the location is important here. "I suspect because this happened in an airport — an entry point into the country — that there were cameras everywhere," Miller said. Miller said international travelers do give up certain Fourth Amendment rights to search and seizure — but there is a line. "Immigration has an absolute right to ask you who you are, and to see your identification — but they don't have a right to ask you questions and demand answers of things other than your identity and your citizenship," Miller said. Miller said travelers always have a Fifth Amendment right to stay silent, but acknowledged that doing so has practical problems. Anyone who stays silent may be held longer, particularly at a time when border enforcement is an administration priority. "The government is trying to be tougher. It is trying to be more invasive, and it's getting close to that line whether or not something is constitutional or not constitutional," said Miller, "and it always ends up in the courts." Miller said he tells clients to go with the flow until they feel uncomfortable, at which point they can ask for a supervisor. Piker said Tuesday that he was answering some of the questions while he was detained, instead of choosing to stay silent, because he wanted to see the line of questioning. He was released and has since returned to Los Angeles.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Twitch streamer HasanAbi detained, questioned by border agents: Report
The Brief Twitch star Hasan Piker says he was detained and questioned at O'Hare Airport Sunday. He claims federal officers asked about his political views, Trump, and Hamas. DHS says the questioning was routine and dismissed claims of political targeting. Hasan Piker, a popular Turkish American political commentator known for criticizing President Donald Trump, says he was detained and interrogated by federal agents after landing at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport over the weekend. Piker, who streams to nearly 3 million followers on Twitch under the handle HasanAbi, detailed the experience Monday in a 40-minute video, saying he was held for hours and questioned about his opinions on Trump and Hamas. The incident took place Sunday after a flight from Paris. The backstory Piker, 33, said he was detained despite being a U.S.-born citizen and enrolled in Global Entry, a federal program meant to expedite customs clearance for low-risk travelers. "The government is now officially willing and able to intimidate you for your speech," he said, calling it a violation of First Amendment rights. The online broadcaster, who frequently voices criticism of U.S. foreign policy, Israel, and the war in Gaza, suggested the detention was politically motivated. "The goal here is to put fear into people's hearts, to have a chilling effect on speech," he said during the livestream. The other side The Department of Homeland Security denied that politics played any role. "This is nothing but lying for likes," said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement. "Claims that his political beliefs triggered the inspection are baseless. Once his inspection was complete, he was promptly released." Federal officials said the questioning was "routine and lawful," though they did not provide further details on what prompted it or what was asked during the interview. Big picture view The incident comes amid rising concern over Trump's approach to dissent, especially following crackdowns on pro-Palestinian student protests and controversial immigration enforcement tactics. Critics say the administration is increasingly using state power to intimidate activists and critics. Last month, a Palestinian student protest leader was arrested during what he believed was an interview for citizenship. Similar episodes have involved U.S. citizens mistakenly caught in immigration sweeps. What they're saying Piker, who lives in Los Angeles and was raised in Turkey, says he isn't backing down. "I'm not intimidated," he said in his video. "I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing." He has more than 1.6 million YouTube subscribers and remains one of the most prominent progressive voices in online political commentary. The Source This article is based on Associated Press reporting and Hasan Piker's public statements via YouTube and Twitch. Additional context includes statements from the Department of Homeland Security and recent federal immigration enforcement actions. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Popular Turkish American online political commentator detained, questioned at Chicago airport
CHICAGO (AP) — A popular Turkish American online streamer who is critical of President Donald Trump was recently detained and questioned at O'Hare International Airport after his flight from Paris landed in Chicago. Hasan Piker, who has 2.8 million followers on Twitch, recounted his experience online Monday saying he was questioned for hours a day earlier despite being born in the U.S. and enrolled in Global Entry, a federal program allowing low-risk passengers to travel through customs and passport control quickly. Piker believes he was targeted because of his views and said Customs and Border Protection officers asked his opinion of Trump and Hamas, among other topics. The liberal political commentator is frequently critical of Israel and the war in Gaza. 'The goal here is to put fear into people's hearts, to have a chilling effect on speech,' Piker recounted in a detailed nearly 40-minute long account on his YouTube channel. 'The government is now officially willing and able to intimidate you for your speech. That is a direct violation of the First Amendment.' Piker did not have comment Tuesday beyond his Twitch stream a day earlier, according to a spokesman. The hours-long broadcast on the live streaming platform included the same account posted on YouTube along with Piker's commentary on other topics and his speaking engagement at the University of Chicago. Federal officials dismissed Piker's account of the detention on Tuesday, calling the questioning 'routine and lawful' and something that can apply to any traveler. 'This is nothing but lying for likes. Claims that his political beliefs triggered the inspection are baseless,' Tricia McLaughlin, U.S. Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, said in a statement. 'Once his inspection was complete, he was promptly released.' The Trump administration's aggressive crackdown on immigration and student protests have also increased worries among U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents navigating the last steps to citizenship. Recent immigration arrests have mistakenly swept up U.S. citizens in Illinois,Florida and other places. Trump has deemed the pro-Palestinian campus protests as 'anti-American' while critics say student arrests are part of an unprecedented attack on the freedom of speech. Last month a Palestinian man who led protests against the war in Gaza as a student was arrested during what he thought was an interview about his citizenship. Federal officials declined to give further details about Piker's detention, including what prompted the extensive questioning. Piker, also known as HasanAbi on Twitch, was born in New Jersey. The 33-year-old was raised in Turkey. He lives in Los Angeles. 'I'm not intimidated," he said on YouTube, where he has 1.6 million subscribers. 'I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing.' Sophia Tareen, The Associated Press
