 leader, as part of an expanding investigation into a September attack on a police station in western İzmir that killed three officers, the DHA news agency reported.){kind=link}
Turkish police have detained Halis Bayancuk, widely described in Turkish media as the country’s alleged Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) leader, as part of an expanding investigation into a September attack on a police station in western İzmir that killed three officers, the DHA news agency reported.
Bayancuk, known by the alias “Abu Hanzala,” was taken into custody during an İzmir-based operation targeting senior members of the group.
Police searched his home in İstanbul before transferring him to İzmir for questioning, according to the ISIL-linked announcement channel Tevhid Gündemi. Another prominent figure, “Abu Haris” (Haris Karadağ), was also detained, while a third suspect, İlyas Aydın, was found to be abroad.
Prosecutors are investigating possible links between the suspects and 16-year-old Eren Bigül, who on September 8 opened fire with a pump-action shotgun on the Salih İşgören Police Station in Balçova.
The attack killed high-ranking police inspector Muhsin Aydemir and police officer Hasan Akın. Another police officer, Ömer Amilağ, later died of his injuries, while police officer Murat Dağlı was lightly wounded.
The teenage gunman was injured during his apprehension and detained at the scene. Online footage showed him shouting “Allahu Akbar” as officers moved in.
Following the shooting the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched a wide-ranging investigation, assigning two deputy chief prosecutors and six prosecutors to the case and imposing a publication ban.
Dozens of suspects have been detained since the attack, including parents and associates. Several have been arrested on charges such as “terrorism-motivated murder of a public official,” “membership in an armed terrorist organization” and “attempting to overthrow the constitutional order.”
Bayancuk has long been one of Turkey’s leading Islamist figures. Although frequently described in local media as “Turkey’s alleged ISIL leader,” he denies the accusations.
He was sentenced in February 2021 to 12 years, six months for “establishing and leading an armed terrorist organization,” but the conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court of Appeals in December 2022. He was released in July 2023 pending retrial.
Since 2009 Bayancuk has been detained numerous times on ISIL-related charges but repeatedly released due to insufficient evidence or procedural issues. He and his wife were briefly arrested in 2015 after ISIL-linked documents were seized during a police raid.
Bayancuk operates several media platforms, including the Tevhid magazine, the Tevhid bookstore, the tevhiddersleri.org and tevhidgundemi.com websites and a YouTube channel with nearly 520,000 followers.
Pro-government broadcaster Akit TV sparked controversy in late 2024 by hosting Bayancuk live on air, where he defended his group’s refusal to perform Friday prayers under the state’s religious authority.