Turkey 'captures new Islamic State group leader' in Istanbul: report

Anti-terror police and intelligence agents conducted lengthy surveillance of the house where the extremist group's leader was suspected to be staying before arresting him, according to reports.
1 min read
26 May, 2022
A Turkish outlet said the man arrested last week was Abu Hasan al-Qurashi, who was named IS leader in March [Anadolu via Getty]

Turkey has captured the leader of Islamic State (IS) group in Istanbul, according to reports Thursday.

Anti-terror police and intelligence agents surveilled a house where the extremist group's leader was suspected to be staying before arresting him, Bloomberg reported, citing senior Turkish officials.

Turkish online news outlet OdaTV named the arrestee as suspected IS leader Abu Hasan al-Qurashi. Bloomberg said it could not verify the identity of the man detained.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to announce the arrest in the coming days, OdaTV said.

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IS named Abu Hasan al-Qurashi as its new leader in March, a month after his predecessor Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi was killed by US special forces in Syria. 

The extremist group swept through parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014, establishing a self-described caliphate that committed crimes against humanity.

The group lost most its territory by 2019, but its remnants continue to conduct attacks in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere.

Turkey has long been accused of harbouring IS militants, and allowing the group to funnel funds through the country. Ankara has strongly denied such allegations.

Turkish police regularly carry out raids to arrest Islamic State group members.