Syrian-British writer and journalist Mustapha Karkouti has died of a cardiac arrest in London. The 77-year-old public intellectual and columnist was one of the most prominent Arab voices in the UK.
News of Karkouti’s death was shared by several noted British media personalities.
Born in Latakia in northern Syria, Karkouti started his career in journalism in the 1960s. He was among the founding members of the Lebanese daily newspaper As-Safir.
Karkouti had a long association with Gulf News and continued to write weekly columns for the newspaper until about a year ago.
He went on to become the president of the Foreign Press Association.
Karkouti was a frequent guest on top TV and radio talk shows, such as BBC News’s Dateline London.
A flamboyant personality who always spoke his mind, he was among a group of people held hostage during the infamous Iranian embassy siege in London in 1980.
