Abu Al-Hasan al-Qurashi, believed to be the new leader of ISIS, was arrested in Istanbul. The Turkish portal Oda TV reports that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been informed and plans to officially announce the arrest in the coming days.
A Turkish official who refused to publicly reveal his identity confirmed the news to Bloomberg. According to Oda TV, Abu Al-Hasan al-Qurashi, the new head of the self-styled Islamic State after the killing of the previous one by the US in Syria in February, was captured during a raid by anti-terrorism teams without firing shots.
According to the reconstruction of the Turkish tabloid, which has not yet been officially confirmed by local authorities, the police have learned of the presence of the leader in the city of Istanbul last week. The secret services and the police, coordinated by chief Zafer Akta, would have installed a hidden central near the suspicious address and would have listened to and followed al-Qurashi for days.
The arrest, which took place last week but only now emerged, would have occurred without firing a single shot. Police would subsequently interrogate the suspect for days and obtain crucial information.
An announcement by Turkish President Erdogan is imminent.