Turkey captures senior member of Daesh terrorist organization

Turkey has announced the capture and remand of a senior member of the Daesh terrorist organisation

“Daesh’s so-called emir of Turkey was captured and remanded in custody with important plans,” Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Twitter. 

Soylu identified the suspect as Mahmut Ozden after police seized the suspect’s computer which contained plans to kidnap Turkish politicians and transport them to Syria. 

Soylu told reporters information obtained from a Daesh terrorist who was detained in a raid in Istanbul last week led to Ozden’s arrest. 

Turkey was one of the first countries to declare Daesh as a terror group in 2013. The country has since been attacked by the group many times. 

READ MORE: A year of tragedy in Turkey: a list of major attacks in Turkey since January 2016

The terror group carried out at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bombings and four-armed attacks, which killed 315 people and injured hundreds of others.

Istanbul's Ataturk Airport was one of the main sites of horror in June 2016 when thirty-five people were killed and 100 were injured by four Daesh terrorists.

Another notable attack came on New Year's Eve 2017, after a year of attacks when a Daesh terrorist went on a rampage killing 39 people and wounding 69 others at a popular Bosphorus nightclub.

READ MORE: At least 39 killed in Istanbul nightclub attack

In response to these acts of terrorism, the country has launched military and police operations at home and abroad to prevent further terror attacks.