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Turkish police detain senior Daesh figure - Interior minister

Turkey has remanded a senior member of Daesh/ISIS terrorist organization, the country's interior minister announced on Tuesday. "Daesh's so-called emir of Turkey was captured and remanded in custody with important plans," Süleyman Soylu said in a social media post shared on the official Twitter account.

Reuters WORLD
Published September 01,2020
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Turkish police have arrested Daesh/ISIS's top figure in Turkey along with plans for attacks by the militant group, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said on Tuesday.

"He had been constantly receiving orders from both Iraq and Syria to carry out an attack in Turkey," Soylu said.

He named the suspect as Mahmut Özden and said the operation was continuing, with Daesh suspects linked to him currently under interrogation. It was not clear where or when he was detained.

Turkish police sporadically carry out raids targeting Daesh [ISIS]. On July 19 they detained 27 people in Istanbul linked to the group who were suspected of preparing an attack.

Turkey was one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS as a terror group in 2013.

Daesh [ISIS] has conducted numerous attacks across Turkey, including on a nightclub in Istanbul on Jan. 1, 2017 in which 39 people were killed, and a bombing in the city's historic heart that killed 12 in 2016.

The bloody-minded terror group carried out at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bombings and four armed attacks, which killed 315 people and injured hundreds others.

In response, Turkey launched military and police operations at home and abroad to prevent further terror attacks.