ANKARA (Sputnik) – Turkish police have detained in Istanbul a senior member of the Daesh terrorist group, believed to be the right-hand man of killed Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, media reported on Sunday.
According to the Yeni Safak newspaper, the high-profile terrorist was detained as a result of a joint operation by police officers and National Intelligence Organization agents near his home. The police also searched his apartment and seized mobile phones, digital materials and photographs of the militant raising a sword.
The militant, wanted on an Interpol red notice, entered Turkey with fake documents three years ago and was in charge of the military infrastructure of the group. The detainee was implicated in many terrorist attacks in Syria since 2014, as well as trained the militants.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed during a special U.S. operation in Syria in 2019. The Daesh eventually confirmed al-Baghdadi’s death and named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as his replacement.