Hasan Karakaya, a renowned columnist and editor-in-chief of Yeni Akit daily, died of a heart attack in Saudi Arabia where he was covering President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit.
The 58-year-old passed away in Medina during the last leg of the president's trip. Erdoğan cut his trip short after the death of Karakaya and decided to return to Turkey on Thursday, one day earlier than scheduled.
The body of Karakaya was scheduled to be flown to Turkey aboard the presidential plane.
The journalist, known for his scathing writing style, started his journalism career in the 1970s and after a stint in several Turkish dailies as a journalist and managing editor, he joined Akit daily, which later changed its name to Yeni Akit. Karakaya was also a member of "Wise People," a government-sponsored delegation of intellectuals founded in 2013 to raise awareness on the "reconciliation process" to end terrorism in southeastern Turkey and restore the rights of the Kurdish community.
President Erdoğan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu conveyed their condolences to Karakaya's family, while fellow journalists expressed their grief over Karakaya's death.
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