Senior executive of Daesh/ISIS terror group captured in Türkiye

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - One of the most important senior executives of the Daesh/ISIS terrorist organization has been captured in Türkiye, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Thursday.

Terrorist Bashar Khattab Ghazal al-Sumaidai, codenamed Abu Zeid/Master Zeid, was captured in a successful operation by the Turkish intelligence and Istanbul police, Erdogan told reporters on the presidential plane on his way back from a three-nation Balkan tour.

"International reports and the UN Security report also contained information that this terrorist was one of the senior executives of the Daesh terrorist organization," he noted.

Erdogan said the terrorist’s connections in Syria and Istanbul had been followed for a long time, and intelligence information was obtained that he would enter Türkiye illegally.

It was determined by the Istanbul security units that the terrorist used a fake identity, he added.