Who killed Pakistani TikTok star Sana Yousuf? Teen shot dead for rejecting suspect's 'offers of friendship'
The accused, identified as 22-year-old Umar Hayat, also a social media content creator, was arrested on Tuesday by the Islamabad Police and was produced in court on Wednesday.
Umar is accused of shooting Sana Yousuf, who had more than one million followers on social media, after she rejected his offer of friendship.
The murder in Pakistan's capital city has sparked widespread outrage across the globe.
According to TV footage, Umar, with his face covered, was brought to court, where police requested additional time to complete their investigation and file formal murder charges.
The judge ordered that Umar be presented again on June 18 for pretrial proceedings.
Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, Islamabad's Inspector General of Police (IGP), told a media briefing on Tuesday: 'The accused is a 22-year-old unemployed man who repeatedly attempted to contact the victim. Upon her refusal to respond, he committed the murder.'
The suspect took Yousuf's phone with him to 'destroy evidence'. But police had seized her phone as well as the murder weapon from the suspect, Rizvi added.
The suspect and Yousuf had known each other for one year. He had travelled to Islamabad between May 28 and 29 to wish Yousuf well on her birthday, but the two could not meet, for unspecified reasons, Dawn reported, citing sources.
Authorities told BBC that they believe Umar Hayat murdered Yousaf at her home in Islamabad on Monday after she rejected what they called his "offers of friendship". He allegedly also repeatedly tried, and failed, to meet her.
Sana originally hailed from the northern region of Chitral in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Through her videos, she promoted traditional Chitrali music and dress and advocated for girls' education.
Hours before Sana Yousuf was killed, she had posted a photo celebrating her birthday with friends.
According to The Express Tribune, Sana was shot at close range by an unidentified assailant who reportedly entered her home and opened fire before fleeing the scene.
The report, citing police sources, stated: "The killer reportedly entered the house and opened fire before fleeing the scene."
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