Ibrahim Tatlises, a poor Kurdish boy from Southeast Turkey who has gone on to become one of Turkey's best-known singers, is much more than an entertainer. He's also involved in construction, the restaurant business and even has his own bus company. He was also among several artists who were part of a high-profile meeting a few months ago with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that helped promote the government's "Kurdish opening," a reform and democratization effort aimed at solving the decades-old Kurdish problem.
Tatlises was shot in the head on Sunday, in an armed attack that has shocked Turkey. The big question now is: who wanted the singer, who is clinging to life, shot? Both the Hurriyet Daily News and Today's Zaman mention a construction deal gone bad in Northern Iraq as a possible motive, although Today's Zaman also speculates that Kurdish internal politics may be to blame.
Tatlises (the name means "sweet voice" in Turkish), who could be described as kind of Turkish Frank Sinatra, is certainly no stranger to violence or crime, having been shot once before. An ex-wife and former girlfriend of his were both also shot in the leg several years back, shootings that many believed to be acts of revenge by the singer.
A video of a typical Tatlises song can be found here.
[UPDATE -- Turkey's state-run Anatolian Agency is reporting that police have rounded up 20 suspects in the shooting and have recovered the automobile and rifle used in the attack.]
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