Islamic State hitman arrested by the authorities in western Turkey

Turkish police detained a suspected assassin affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS) and 13 other people in an operation in the northwestern Yalova province, state-run television channel TRT World reported on Monday.

The assassin, identified by the initials A.Y., was also in charge of smuggling ISIS members to Europe, according to TRT. He was planning to escape to Iraq when he was apprehended, it said.

A high-profile member of ISIS was rumoured to be among the 14 people detained, TRT reported. Police confiscated firearms and equipment to make fake passports in the operation, as well as 433 fake passports, 346 fake identity cards and cash allegedly extorted from Turkish businessmen, it said.

Turkey is a favoured base for ISIS members. The Turkish police carry out regular operations to apprehend the group’s members. ISIS relies on Turkey as a “logistical hub” for its finances, the U.S. Treasury said in a report last month.

Source: Ahval News