Iran says arrested pop singer Tataloo

TEHRAN (AFP): Iranian authorities have arrested famous pop singer Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, known as Tataloo, after Turkish police turned him over to Iran, the judiciary said Wednesday.

The controversial singer, rapper and songwriter, 36, had been living in Istanbul since 2018 following numerous arrests in the Islamic republic and an official refusal to grant him a performing licence.

Tataloo “was arrested with a court order after being turned over to Iran through the Bazargan border crossing” in Iran’s northwest, said the judiciary’s Mizan Online news agency.

It added that “numerous complaints had been filed against the singer, the most important ones being complaints filed by under-18 youngsters and their families”.

Mizan charged that “Tataloo has taken extensive measures to spread corruption and prostitution among young people,” alleging he had invited minors to his Istanbul residence.

The artist, known for combining rap, pop and R&B, has seen a huge swing in fortunes over the years.

Having built a huge fan base with more than a million followers on Instagram, the heavily-tattooed singer was courted by conservative politicians as a way to reach out to young, liberal-minded Iranians.

He even held an awkward televised meeting with ultra-conservative President Ebrahim Raisi when he was making his first bid for office in 2017.

But with musicians in Iran facing an arduous journey to be permitted to perform, he ultimately left the country and made critical comments about officials on social media and his songs.