This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Istanbul • A Syrian journalist who was shot in the Turkish city of Gaziantep in an attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) died from his wounds Tuesday, a close friend said.
The death of Halab Today TV presenter Mohammed Zahir al-Sherqat marks the fourth assassination of a Syrian journalist in Turkey claimed by the extremist group.
Sherqat, who was shot in the neck at close range Sunday while walking on a street, died in a hospital in Gaziantep near the Syrian border, according to his friend Barry Abdulattif, a Syrian activist.
Friends told the Associated Press that the journalist had received death threats as recently as two months ago from IS extremists. IS claimed the attack Monday via the IS-affiliated Aamaq news agency, which said Sherqat "used to present anti-Islamic State programs."
The journalist came to Turkey in 2015 after surviving an assassination attempt in Syria and started to work with Halab Today. His programs took a stand against extremist groups.
Sherqat was an imam who studied Islamic Law at Damascus University, Abdulattif said.