Turkish police arrest anti-IS filmmaker murder suspects

Three people have been arrested in Turkey in connection with the murder of Syrian filmmaker Naji Jerf, who was shot dead in broad daylight by suspected Islamic State group militants last month.

Activists believe that Jerf was targeted due to work exposing IS crimes, which included undercover reporting of massacres carried out by the militants.

Little information is known about the arrests, but Anadolu news agency reported that police have remanded in custody - pending trial - one suspect and his two accomplices.

There were no other details on their identity.

Jerf was a renowned filmmaker and editor-in-chief of Syrian magazine Hentah.

He also worked with anti-IS activist group Raqqa is Being Silently Slaughtered, highlighting the extremist group's crimes.
 
The filmmaker was murdered in Gaziantep, which is hot-bed of rebel and activist activity, and lies just 40 miles north of Aleppo, a focal point of rebel, regime, Kurdish and IS battles in the Syrian civil war.

IS have carried out other murders against Syrian activists in the city and claimed responsibility for the beheading of two young men east of Gaziantep.
 
Various clashes and demonstrations have occurred in major cities in southeast Turkey.

IS also claimed responsibility for bombings last year in Suruc - around 40 miles east of Gaziantep - which killed over 30 Kurdish activists.
 
Dozens of supporters gathered in Paris last week to show their solidarity for Jerf.
 
Further details of the suspects have not been released.

— Thomas van Linge (@arabthomness) January 6, 2016" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post #Syria: Syrians in #Paris have set up a memorial for Naji al-Jerf at Place de la republique pic.twitter.com/tD1icleL39 — Thomas van Linge (@arabthomness) January 6, 2016