MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th September, 2022) The Turkish intelligence had been following one of the leaders of the Islamic State terrorist organization (IS, banned in Russia), captured on Thursday, and his connections in Syria and Istanbul for a long time, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.
IS terrorist Bashar Khattab Ghazal al-Sumaidai, also known as Abu Zeid, was captured in a successful operation by the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and Istanbul police, Turkish news agency Anadolu reported on Thursday, citing Erdogan.
The terrorist's connections in Syria and Istanbul had been followed for a long time and, according to intelligence information, Zeid planned to enter Turkey illegally, the president told reporters upon his return from a three-day Balkan tour. The Istanbul security units determined that the terrorist used a faked identity.
Erdogan noted that the terrorist was one of the senior executives of IS, Anadolu said.
Zeid was transferred to the judicial authorities on the order of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, after being questioned by the National Intelligence Organization and the Istanbul police.
The detained terrorist was listed as the head of a terrorist organization in the 30th regular report of the UN Security Council, published on July 11.
