A Turkish prosecutor is seeking an aggravated life sentence for Bashar Khattab Ghazal al-Sumaidai, a senior Daesh terrorist code-named "Abu Zeid," in an ongoing case involving two more suspects.
After completing its investigation, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on Friday demanded a life sentence for al-Sumaidai for “violating the Constitution” as a member of the Daesh terrorist organization.
According to the indictment the prosecution released, al-Sumaidai was likely to be the next so-called leader of Daesh following the death of its last leader Amir Muhammad Said Abdal-Rahman al-Salbi, who was eliminated in a U.S.-led operation in Atmah in February 2022.
The prosecution also pressed charges against al-Sumaidai’s accomplices Azzam Ali Hussein al-Neama and Makaram Taha Ali, requesting up to 15 years in jail for each and another life sentence for al-Neama, on charges of “violating the Constitution” and “being a terror group member.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced al-Sumaidai’s capture in Istanbul on Sept. 8, explaining that the terrorist was surveilled by Turkish intelligence and Istanbul police for months before he was caught.
Al-Sumaidai reportedly revealed in his testimony that after joining the terrorist group in 2013, before it combined its Iraqi and Syrian branches and renamed itself “Daesh,” he performed high-level tasks within the group and even served as a so-called "chief qadi" at the group’s religious center. A "qadi" is a Muslim judge who makes decisions according to Islamic law.
Al-Sumaidai acted alongside suspect Makaram Taha Ali, who is also his wife, and moved through Iraq and Syria before entering Türkiye, the indictment revealed. The other suspect al-Neama, a relative of al-Sumaidai, was in charge of the terrorist group’s arms and ammunition department.
Al-Sumaidai admitted to all charges in his testimony. He revealed he was appointed as the so-called minister of education of Mosul after the city was taken over by Daesh in 2014. He argued that he only worked as a minister and that he was never involved in any armed activity or signed a death sentence. However, he added that there was a possibility he would be named the next leader of Daesh.
The other suspect al-Neama rejected all charges, saying he didn’t know al-Sumaidai.
Al-Sumaidai’s wife Taha Ali, who he married in an official ceremony in Mosul, operated under the codename “Karima al-Ali” within the organization, the prosecution noted.
The indictment was accepted by the Istanbul 23rd Heavy Criminal Court early on Friday and the suspects are set to stand trial in the upcoming days.
