Senior ISIL member arrested in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

Istanbul police have apprehended a high-ranking member of ISIL during an operation that resulted in the detention of eight other individuals.

The suspect, identified as Jamal Ismael Ahmad Almad, had been under the surveillance of intelligence and terror units for some time before the operation.

During a private interrogation, Almad confessed to his affiliation with the organization and disclosed his role in Iraq as the self-proclaimed Nineveh governorate judge of ISIL. Authorities have yet to ascertain the means by which he entered Türkiye.

Following the interrogation, Almad was promptly arrested and transferred to prison.

Investigations revealed that Almad had been hiding in a house located in Esenyurt district. Authorities are currently working to determine Almad’s potential participation as one of the terrorists who orchestrated the occupation of Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, in June 2014. The specifics regarding his background and activities prior to his detention are still under scrutiny.

Security forces in late May nabbed ISIL’s so-called Marmara head, Bülent Özbuğday, during Istanbul-based raids conducted at several addresses in three provinces, along with 11 other suspects.

The operations against the group were launched by Istanbul police’s anti-terror unit after a group calling themselves “Taqwa” (“Piousness”) was found to be spread across eight different districts in the city.

Türkiye has been attacked by ISIL terrorists multiple times, with at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks and four armed attacks, killing over 300 people and injuring hundreds more.