Canadian trainer of Daesh militants captured in Adana
Authorities announced on Thursday that a Canadian citizen who was detained on March 10 has been formally arrested for his links to Daesh.
Wassim Bouhadou, a Canadian of Algerian origin, is being accused of training Daesh members in Syria and financing the terrorist group. He was detained by police at an airport in Adana, where a NATO base is being used for anti-Daesh airstrikes in Syria.
According to local authorities, Bouhadou was planning to travel to Europe via a flight from Istanbul when police stopped his plane as it was about to take off. After being detained, police subsequently questioned the man for 13 days before arresting him.
Police sources, speaking to the local media, said Bouhadou recruited militants from Europe for the terrorist group, which is active in Iraq and Syria, two neighbors of Turkey. Video footage found in his possession showed Bouhadou training new recruits on how to shoot properly.
According to the police sources, his capture was the result of joint efforts by Turkish intelligence and anti-terror units.
The state-run Anadolu Agency reported that the suspect also gave firearm training to militants in Syria. The agency also reported that Bouhadou planned to travel to Greece from Turkey and fly to Canada from there.
In 2015, police captured a Syrian in a southeastern city on charges of helping foreigners join Daesh. The man, identified as Mohammed al-Rashed, was accused of committing espionage to gain intelligence for Canada.
Canadian authorities rejected the allegations, while al-Rashed told interrogators that he worked as a middleman between Daesh financiers and the terrorist group's members, giving names of the financiers to intelligence officers at Canada's Jordan embassy. He claimed that Canadian officials were aware of his illegal work and offered him Canadian citizenship in exchange for spying on Daesh. Prosecutors had asked for 26 years in prison for al-Rashed, who is currently being held in Şanlıurfa, the city where he was captured.
Wassim Bouhadou, a Canadian of Algerian origin, is being accused of training Daesh members in Syria and financing the terrorist group. He was detained by police at an airport in Adana, where a NATO base is being used for anti-Daesh airstrikes in Syria.
According to local authorities, Bouhadou was planning to travel to Europe via a flight from Istanbul when police stopped his plane as it was about to take off. After being detained, police subsequently questioned the man for 13 days before arresting him.
Police sources, speaking to the local media, said Bouhadou recruited militants from Europe for the terrorist group, which is active in Iraq and Syria, two neighbors of Turkey. Video footage found in his possession showed Bouhadou training new recruits on how to shoot properly.
According to the police sources, his capture was the result of joint efforts by Turkish intelligence and anti-terror units.
The state-run Anadolu Agency reported that the suspect also gave firearm training to militants in Syria. The agency also reported that Bouhadou planned to travel to Greece from Turkey and fly to Canada from there.
In 2015, police captured a Syrian in a southeastern city on charges of helping foreigners join Daesh. The man, identified as Mohammed al-Rashed, was accused of committing espionage to gain intelligence for Canada.
Canadian authorities rejected the allegations, while al-Rashed told interrogators that he worked as a middleman between Daesh financiers and the terrorist group's members, giving names of the financiers to intelligence officers at Canada's Jordan embassy. He claimed that Canadian officials were aware of his illegal work and offered him Canadian citizenship in exchange for spying on Daesh. Prosecutors had asked for 26 years in prison for al-Rashed, who is currently being held in Şanlıurfa, the city where he was captured.