Police detain ISIL suspect scouting in Turkish capital

ANKARA/BİNGÖL

AA photo

Police in Ankara detained a suspected member of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on Aug. 12 while he was scouting to conduct potential attacks in the capital.

Counter-terrorism police apprehended the suspect identified only as M.A. after examining documents seized in a separate raid in the southern province of Antalya, where four suspects had been detained.

After reviewing the notes and documents, including scouting works in significant spots for potential attacks across the capital, police launched an operation in the Altındağ district, detaining M.A. His proceedings at the police headquarters have been ongoing.

His computer was also confiscated for a detailed examination of digital documents.

In two separate raids in the eastern province of Bingöl, police also detained 10 ISIL suspects and seized a number of weapons and ammunition inside a vehicle, the local governor’s office stated on Aug. 12.

The Bingöl Governor’s office said in a statement that police seized three machine guns, one flame thrower, seven Kalashnikovs, two assault vests, 10 clips, two hand-grenades and a number of ammunition belonging to the weapons inside a suspicious vehicle in the Yenişehir neighborhood.

It said six suspects, including the driver of the vehicle, were detained in the operation.

According to the statement, another four suspects had been detained during operations in the province on Aug. 11.

In addition, a court in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa ordered the arrest of three men suspected of carrying out murders on behalf of the jihadist group on Aug. 12.

Police conducted simultaneous operations in the Şanlıurfa, Gaziantep and Malatya provinces.  

Three men identified as Bünyamin Hallak, Mahmud Elhammud and Mahmut El Cerrah are thought to have been part of an ISIL “execution team” and they were arrested by a court.

The counter-terror operations followed an investigation into a drive-by shooting of a Syrian national in Şanlıurfa last month. The gun used in the attack was found on the suspects.
       
The suspects had used chats in phone gaming applications to communicate with ISIL members. 

They were also thought to have been planning attacks on people working against ISIL.