Mutlu Kaya: Turkish Talent Show Contestant Shot in Head

Mutlu Kaya, a Turkish teenager who has been taking part in a talent show on national TV, has been shot in the head while rehearsing at home, Turkish media reported.

Mutlu Kaya, 19, was in a critical condition after being shot in Diyarbakir province on May 18.

Diyarbakir is a conservative region in south-east Turkey and Mutlu Kaya had reportedly received death threats for singing on the show, Sesi Cok Guzel.

One person has reportedly been arrested in connection with the incident.

The gunman was said to have been in the garden and fired through a window into the house.

Sesi Cok Guzel is similar to shows like America’s Got Talent. Mutlu Kaya’s mentor is Sibel Can, one of Turkey’s best-known folk singers.

Sibel Can had visited Mutlu Kaya at the school canteen where she worked in March, in order to make sure she joined her team in the competition.

However, the Posta newspaper reported on May 17 that Mutlu Kaya had received death threats after appearing on the show.

Mutlu Kaya’s father, Mehmet Kaya, told local media his daughter had been rehearsing to go back on the show when she was shot at her home in the Ergani district.