Turkish court releases pending trial alleged ISIL member sought on INTERPOL Red Notice

An Ankara court has decided to release pending trial an alleged member of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) who is wanted by Russia on an INTERPOL Red Notice, according to Turkish media.

The Ankara 26^th High Criminal Court on Wednesday ruled for the release from pretrial detention of Ayshat Rzaeva, who faces a sentence of up to 15 years on charges of terrorist organization membership due to her alleged links to ISIL.

According to INTERPOL’s webpage, Rzaeva, who was born in Dagestan in 1992, is sought by Russia, where she is on the list of “foreign terrorist fighters.”

Rzaeva, who allegedly joined ISIL in 2015 in Syria, was detained in a police raid on an apartment in Ankara in October where officers discovered a huge amount of cash, digital materials and documents related to ISIL as well as a fake Syrian ID card.

An investigation of Rzaeva’s mobile phone and the materials seized in her apartment showed that ISIL selects its suicide bombers by lot.

The Ankara court’s decision to release the ISIL suspect pending trial has led to resentment and criticism because the Turkish courts do not show the same kind of tolerance to people who are in pretrial detention on politically motivated charges such as journalists, activists and opposition politicians.