Fugitive ISIL suspect in Reina attack case captured but released in Denmark: Report

ISTANBUL

Danish police captured but then released on June 29 a suspected Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militant who is accused of providing the weapon Abdulkadir Masharipov used to kill 39 people at Istanbul’s Reina nightclub on Jan. 1, Turkish daily Karar reported on July 12.

İbrahimjon Asparov, codenamed “İbrahim Danyelik,” is listed as a fugitive ISIL militant in an indictment prepared by Turkish authorities regarding the Reina attack, the daily said. A Danish citizen, Asparov was  determined to have lived in Istanbul for a while. 

According to the indictment, Asparov gave Masharipov the Kalashnikov which the latter used to gun down New Year’s Eve revelers at the Reina nightclub on Jan. 1. 

“It is evaluated that the ISIL fugitive member codenamed ‘İbrahim Danyeli’ obtained the AK-47 Kalashnikov and its bullets at [ISIL] suspect Khasan Gulomov’s house and handed it to Abdulkadir Masharipov, who used them in the Reina terror attack on Jan. 1,” the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office reportedly said. 

The Reina attacker was captured after a two-week manhunt. 

Asparov, on the other hand, fled to Denmark following the deadly attack. He was interrogated on June 29 by the Danish police, but released while an ongoing investigation. Asparov is still reportedly in Denmark. 

The Turkish daily said the news broke when the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet addressed a question to Danish police forces on the whereabouts of Asparov, based on Karar’s report that he was a suspect in an ISIL-related case. The police then reportedly told the Danish newspaper, “He was arrested due to a contrary situation to the anti-terrorism legislation, but he was released, and the investigation is ongoing.” The police have not reportedly shared any other news regarding the issue.  

Spain thanks Turkey for catching 2 Spanish ISIL militants

The Spanish Interior Ministry has thanked Turkey for catching and extraditing two Spanish ISIL female suspects, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on July 11. 

“The perfect coordination with the security forces in Turkey and official authorities made it possible for the two caught women to be brought to Spain,” the ministry said. 

Spanish officials have also announced in a written statement that the two suspected militants, who were caught in Turkey last December, were brought on a Turkish Airlines flight to Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, where they were arrested by gendarmerie officers. The suspects, named Asya Ahmed Muhamed and Fatma Akil Laghmich, will appear before a Madrid court on July 14. 

The two women were indicated to be the widows of two Moroccan ISIL militants who died while fighting in Syria. 

The ministry said the women “threatened the national security of Spain,” noting that the women’s little children would be given to other family members in Spain.