In a statement from Açık Gazete, Faruk Eskioğlu shared the following: “Faruk Zabcı, who served as the London correspondent for Hürriyet newspaper for many years and reported from numerous conflict zones around the world, suffered a heart attack this morning at the care home where he was staying in London. Zabcı, who was taken to the hospital, passed away. It has been learned that his body will be transported to Istanbul for burial. Zabcı is survived by his son.”
The Zabcı Legend
Zabcı, who passed away at the age of 77, was originally from Malatya but was born in Istanbul in 1947.
He graduated from Galatasaray High School in 1968 and started his journalism career the same year by writing about his hitchhiking experiences across Europe for Milliyet newspaper. During Galatasaray’s centennial year, he hitchhiked to London.
Zabcı served as the London correspondent for Hürriyet for many years and personally covered numerous unforgettable events across the globe.
Living by the motto “journalism until death,” Zabcı witnessed significant events such as the infamous “hood incident” where Turkish soldiers were captured during the Iraq-American conflict in Sulaymaniyah. He was also present on the ground in Pakistani following the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Carlos the Jackal, from his prison cell, would call Zabcı, addressing him as “Commander.” The Venezuelan who is considered one of the most notorious criminals of the underground.
A life filled of with adventure and danger Zabci was kidnapped by pirates in Mogadishu on his way to Somalia. He was the recipient of the 2020 Burhan Felek Press Service Award and Permanent Press Card.