 from Chechnya who was detained in a police operation in İstanbul last week, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.){kind=link}
A Turkish court on Monday ruled for the arrest of a suspected member of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from Chechnya who was detained in a police operation in İstanbul last week, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
The man, identified only by the initials as B.E, was sought by INTERPOL on a Red Notice.
He was arrested on charges of involvement in “political or military espionage” in Turkey.
INTERPOL sent a letter to Turkey’s General Directorate of Security on December 16, informing it that suspected ISIL member B.E., armed and with accomplices, broke into a house and stole 400,000 rubles and some other items in Chechnya.
The letter, based on a request from Chechen law enforcement, said the suspect had joined ISIL, could have travelled to Turkey and could also be a member of a network engaged in espionage activities.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued a detention warrant based on the letter, and B.E. was detained in a police operation in the Başakşehir district on December 26.
He was arrested on Monday after appearing in court.
Turkey is a popular destination for suspected ISIL members. Last month Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced the detention of 54 people with suspected links to ISIL in police operations conducted in 18 provinces.
The minister said 20 of the suspects were arrested on accusations of membership in a terrorist organization, disseminating terrorist propaganda and aiding and abetting a terrorist organization.
Various bombings and attacks by ISIL have killed at least 315 people and injured hundreds in Turkey since the group was declared a terrorist organization in 2013.
The latest ISIL attack, which targeted the Santa Maria Church in İstanbul in January, resulted in the death of one man and injuries to several others, including the church’s pastor.