Turkish police arrest 'high-ranking' Daesh/ISIS terrorist in Istanbul

By Emrah Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkish police on Thursday arrested a suspected Daesh/ISIS terrorist in Istanbul, Türkiye’s largest city.

Shamil Hukumatov of Tajikistan is a "high-ranking" terrorist of the Daesh/ISIS Khorasan branch and is believed to have been involved in new recruits for the terrorist group as well as providing them with money, security sources told Anadolu, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Sources say the Tajik government has issued an arrest warrant for Hukumatov, also known by his nom de guerre "Abu Miskin," for alleged subversive activities in the country.

Under the moniker "Khorasan," Daesh/ISIS formed the terror group known as IS-K in June 2014, which includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other neighboring South and Central Asian countries.

According to media reports, IS-K head Sanaullah Ghaffari, also known as Shahab al-Muhajir, was killed in the northwestern Kunar province of Afghanistan in the first week of June. He was responsible for a number of deadly attacks in Afghanistan, including a suicide bombing at Kabul Airport in August 2021 that killed over 180 people. The interim Taliban administration, however, has yet to confirm his death.

During Thursday’s raid, Istanbul police detained Hukumatov's wife, identified only by her initials as M.S., and recovered a significant amount of information, documents, and materials related to the terrorist group during a search of their residence, according to these sources.

Hukumatov was remanded in custody by the local court after completing the necessary procedures at the police station, while his wife, M.S., was released under judicial supervision, they added.

In 2013, Türkiye became one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terrorist organization.

The country has since been attacked by the terror group multiple times, with over 300 people killed and hundreds more injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks, and four armed attacks.

In response, Türkiye launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.​​​​​​​

*Writing by Esra Tekin in Istanbul​​​​​​​