First ISIL arrestee in Turkey has returned to fighting for jihadists: Report

ANKARA

Musa Göktaş, known as the first suspect arrested in Turkey over claims of being a member of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), returned to Syria to fight on the ranks of jihadists after being released in 2015, daily Cumhuriyet reported on Nov. 29, citing a police report.

A report sent by the Ankara police to an Ankara court that held the trials regarding the largest terror attack in Turkey’s history in 2015, stated that “Musa Göktaş returned to the conflict areas after being released and he is still there.”

A twin bomb attack staged by ISIL in Ankara on Oct. 10, 2015 killed over 100 people and wounded many others. The details of the case revealed a wealth of information about ISIL’s operations across Turkey.

Göktaş reportedly crossed into Syria to join the ISIL militants with his 15-year-old twin sons on Oct. 8, 2014. His wife later reported to police that her husband and children were missing, suspecting that her sons had joined ISIL with their father without telling her.

After spending almost four months with the group, Göktaş returned to Turkey on Jan. 27 in order to sell his house to pay his debts and take his wife over to Syria. However, he was detained by police during an identity check while on a bus in Gaziantep that was traveling to Ankara, where he was living before leaving the country.

The man reportedly said in his testimony that he had joined ISIL in order to live a life according to his religious beliefs.

He had pleaded guilty and was convicted to six years in jail. He was released on probation after pleading guilty and saying he regretted being a member of ISIL.