Turkish security forces detained a senior leader of the Daesh terrorist group as the fugitive was attempting to illegally cross the border into Syria, reports said Thursday.
The terrorist, identified as Mehmet Fatih Alıcı, had served as a senior figure in the group's so-called military in Turkey back in 2016 and was involved in the training of terrorists in Syria.
The Gaziantep Heavy Penal Court issued the terrorist an eight-year four-month prison sentence, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
The senior Daesh figure was detained by counterterrorism squads as he was preparing to flee to Syria, the report said.
Police delivered him to prison after routine medical checkups.
Turkey was one of the first countries to declare Daesh a terror group and has since been attacked multiple times. The group has carried out at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks and four armed attacks, killing 315 people and injuring hundreds more.
In response, Turkey launched counterterrorism operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks. Security forces have carried out numerous operations against the Daesh network in recent months, rounding up suspects planning attacks or illegally crossing borders.
