Turkish authorities have released pending trial a Kazakh national wanted by INTERPOL on suspicion of membership in the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) because there is reportedly insufficient evidence against him, Turkish Minute reported, citing the Artı Gerçek news website.
The Kazakh national, identified only by the initials D.K., was released in September after he spent 29 months in Sincan Prison in Ankara while awaiting trial.
According to Turkish authorities, he was released because Kazakhstan had not provided the required documents, and thus, there was “insufficient evidence” for further detention.
According to an indictment drafted by the Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office, D.K. left Kazakhstan for Egypt in 2013 as the Syrian civil war escalated. His next stop was Turkey, where he allegedly established contact with ISIL networks. He stayed in various cities and then illegally entered Syria.
Before joining ISIL, D.K. was actively involved in recruiting members for the terrorist organization. He released a video titled “Mujahideen” in which he called for “jihad” and targeted primarily Kazakh citizens. The video caught the attention of Kazakhstan’s intelligence service, which subsequently informed INTERPOL. A Red Notice was issued for D.K. in 2014.
According to the report, citing the indictment, D.K. frequently entered Turkey illegally while in Syria. He used a fake identity created by ISIL members to move freely around Turkey and resided in homes designated by the ISIL network in the country.
D.K. was arrested in April 2021 near Ankara’s Polatlı district on the charge of “membership in a terrorist organization” and sent to Sincan Prison. Despite multiple attempts by Turkish authorities to obtain evidence from Kazakhstan, no documents were produced, leading to D.K.’s release.
D.K. is currently in Ankara under judicial supervision and under a travel ban. His next court hearing is scheduled for April 2024.
More than 300 people have been killed and hundreds of others injured in Turkey in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bombings and four armed assaults carried out by ISIL, which was declared a terrorist organization by Turkey in 2013.
