Turkey nabs foreign senior Daesh terror suspect

ANKARA/SANLIURFA, Turkey

A foreign national Daesh/ISIS terror suspect was nabbed by Turkish police teams on Wednesday in northwestern Turkey.

The Jordanian suspect, identified only with initials A.Z.A.A.D., was arrested in an anti-terror operation in the Sakarya province, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

It noted that the suspect was "the group's so-called deputy education minister in charge of all educational institutions" in areas the terror group Daesh/ISIS invaded in Iraq and Syria in 2014-2017.

The ministry also said the terror suspect brutally murdered people he took prisoner in the same areas and published video footage of these actions on social media as part of the terror group's propaganda.

Meanwhile, Turkish security forces also arrested five other alleged Daesh/ISIS members in anti-terror operations in Turkey's southeastern province Sanliurfa.

Police conducted simultaneous operations in five locations in the Eyyubiye, Haliliye, Akcakale and Birecik Districts of Sanliurfa and seized digital materials.

Turkey was one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terror group in 2013.

It has since been attacked by Daesh/ISIS terrorists multiple times. The extremist group carried out at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bombings and four armed attacks, which killed 315 people and injured hundreds of others.

In response, Turkey launched military and police operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.