An Afghan national who was a close aide of killed Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been caught in Istanbul, Turkish police said Sunday.
Reports said the suspect, identified by the codename Basim had been involved in helping hide al-Baghdadi in Syria’s Idlib province after the fall of the group in 2019.
Al-Baghdadi was killed in a raid on his Syrian hideout by US special forces in October 2019.
The Demiroren news agency said Basim was suspected of organizing training for IS while in Syria and Iraq, as well as serving on its decision-making council.
He arrived in Turkey with a false passport and identity card, the agency said.
