Iran arrests a popular singer after he was handed over by police in Turkey

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian authorities have arrested a popular singer who had criticized the government after he was handed over by police in Turkey, the official IRNA news agency reported Wednesday.

Amirhossein Maghsoudloo, better known as Tataloo, has been critical of Iran’s leaders since he had moved to Turkey. It wasn’t clear why he was arrested by Turkish police on Monday, but IRNA reported he was facing complaints for allegedly inviting underage people to his home in Istanbul.

IRNA said Turkish police handed over him to Iranian authorities in the northwestern province of West Azerbaijan.

Iran’s hard-liners regularly criticize artists and celebrities and authorities have summoned many of them in recent months on various charges, including violations of chastity.

Tataloo has never been allowed to hold a concert in Iran but was a popular underground singer with many young fans. During a 2017 presidential campaign, he met with the current president, Ebrahim Raisi. In 2015, he made a music video on an Iranian navy boat, defending the country’s nuclear program.