Turkish police on Thursday captured a Chechen national wanted by Interpol-Europol for allegedly being a member of the Daesh terrorist group.
According to a memo sent to the Turkish Police Department on Dec. 16 from Interpol, Chechen police discovered that the suspect, identified by his initials B.E., committed armed robbery at a house with several other criminals, stealing 400,000 rubles ($4,000) and other materials.
The memo warned the suspect had joined Daesh and could be in Türkiye, adding that he was also possibly part of a spy organization.
B.E. was captured in Istanbul’s Başakşehir district early on Thursday after the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered his apprehension.
Türkiye has been hit by several major attacks claimed by Daesh, including a 2017 nightclub shooting that killed dozens of people.
Since the 2019 collapse of the self-proclaimed “caliphate,” some suspected Daesh members have settled in Türkiye, operating a so-called Daesh-Khorasan Province (Daesh-K) network, which looks for “new methods” and recruits more foreign nationals for its activities after constant counterterrorism operations became a “challenge,” according to Turkish security sources.
The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) thwarted the terrorist group’s efforts for recruitment, obtaining funds and logistics support after its latest operation in the aftermath of a church shooting in Istanbul in January.
Turkish authorities said that since June 2023, more than 3,600 people with suspected ties to the terrorist group have been arrested.
Daesh remains the second biggest threat of terrorism for Türkiye, which faces security risks from multiple terrorist groups and was one of the first countries to declare it as a terrorist group in 2013.
In December last year, Turkish security forces detained 32 suspects over alleged links with Daesh, who were planning attacks on churches and synagogues, as well as the Iraqi Embassy.
Terrorists from Daesh and other groups, such as the PKK and its Syrian wing, the YPG, rely on a network of members and supporters in Türkiye.