An İstanbul court on Monday decided to release a militant from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on judicial probation because the man has a permanent residence address in İstanbul, according to a story in the Hürriyet daily on Wednesday.
The decision by the İstanbul 2nd High Criminal Court concerns Abdulsamet Ç., who was arrested on Sept.2 on charges of membership in a terrorist organization.
Abdulsamet Ç. travelled to Syria to join ISIL in 2014. He left ISIL one-and-a-half years later and returned to Turkey, seeking to benefit from the Active Repentance Law. At that time he was released by a court on probation for a period of one year.
However, Abdulsamet Ç. was detained in an operation against ISIL in İstanbul in August along with several other suspected ISIL members. He was subsequently arrested.
An indictment drafted forAbdulsamet Ç. by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office includes evidence from his mobile phone showing links to ISIL such as banners, videos and anthems. During a raid on Abdulsamet Ç.’s house, police also found a book titled “44 Ways of Supporting Jihad,” banned in Turkey.
The indictment accused Abdulsamet Ç. of having committed the crime of being a member of an armed terrorist organization; however, Abdulsamet Ç. was released by the court on judicial probation on the grounds that he has a permanent residence address in İstanbul.