Türkiye Hands Over Controversial Musician Tataloo to Iranian Police

Turkish authorities have handed over Amir Tataloo, one of Iran’s most famous and controversial musicians and singers, to the Islamic Republic's police, Iranian media report. 

Mizan News Agency, an outlet affiliated with the judiciary, reported that Amirhossein Maqsoodlou, better known as Amir Tataloo, was handed over to the Iranian police on the morning of December 6. 

Saeed Naqdi, a lawyer, said that the handover took place at the Bazargan border.

"The West Azerbaijan Prosecutor's Office has initiated an investigation and filed charges against him," he wrote on the social media platform X.

Music reporter Bahman Babazadeh posted a video on social media depicting the singer accompanied by at least three plainclothes officers.

Turkish authorities apprehended the tattoo-covered artist on December 2 following a complaint filed by the Islamic Republic’s Consulate in Istanbul, according to Iranian media. 

He is reportedly accused of "obscene behavior" toward consulate staff.

The musician gained notoriety for criticizing the Iranian government's human rights record in his songs and on social media. 

However, he later adopted a conservative stance and urged his fans to vote for hardliners in the 2017 presidential elections.

His most famous single, Nuclear Energy, released before the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, asserted Iran's right to self-defense. 

The accompanying music video, shot on a warship in the Persian Gulf, fueled speculation he had been co-opted by the Iranian establishment.

In 2019, Instagram blocked his account due to the publication of anti-women content and the promotion of child marriage. 

In his stories, Tataloo claimed he planned to establish a "Sultan's Palace" in Türkiye, and invite girls between the ages of 15 and 20 to join.