| Mustapha Karkouti | |
|---|---|
| Born | Latakia, Syria |
| Residence | London, England, UK |
| Occupation | Journalist and media consultant |
| Known for | Journalism |
Mustapha Karkouti is a Syrian born freelance journalist and media consultant, residing in London since the early 1970s.
He was born in Latakia in northern Syria. He started as an agency journalist in the 1960s and went on to be a founding member of As-safir, the Lebanese newspaper. As its foreign correspondent he was sent to London in the early 1970s. In 1977 he met his wife and was married in 1978.
In 1993 he was elected President of the Foreign Press Association in London. Karkouti was a founding member of Arab-US Forum, and elected member of Chatham House Council . He is a frequent guest on TV and radio talk shows, such as BBC News' Dateline London.
Whilst arranging a trip to Tehran he was taken hostage in the 1980 Iranian Embassy Siege in London. The terrorists used him to communicate with the police and other hostages. He was released before the SAS stormed the embassy.[1][2]