Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria, March 29, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

A prominent American Islamist journalist who has been critical of Syria‘s new government and its nascent partnership with the United States has been detained by Syrian security forces, two people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Bilal Abdul Kareem, a former stand-up comedian in the US turned war journalist who has lived in Syria since 2012 and worked with many foreign media outlets, was detained in Al-Bab in northern Aleppo province on Monday, they said.

Syria‘s information ministry, an interior ministry spokesperson, and a spokesperson for the US special envoy to Syria did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Abdul Kareem has been a prominent voice among foreign Islamists in Syria, giving air to hardliners who view President Ahmed al-Sharaa – who once commanded Al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria – as compromising too much on Islamic values since taking power.

In August, Abdul Kareem petitioned the Syrian state to give citizenship to foreign jihadists among the rebels who swept to power with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group that ousted autocratic President Bashar al-Assad a year ago.

The fate of foreign fighters has loomed large since then, with few countries willing to take back people they often view as extremists and some Syrians wary of their presence.

Al-Sharaa’s government has progressively limited their space for expression, detaining several, including some with a significant online presence.

In Abdul Kareem’s latest video, he criticized Syria‘s decision to join the US-led global coalition fighting Islamic State. The video was published a day after a gunman said by the US and Syria to have been a member of Islamic State killed two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter in eastern Syria. IS has not directly claimed responsibility for the attack.

In the video posted on X, Abdul Kareem begins: “I’m not going to sugarcoat this, and it probably is going to get me in trouble, but here is the reality. The Americans have no legitimate reasons to be here.”

He adds: “We simply cannot legitimize the presence of the enemy, and I said America is the enemy of the Syrian people.”