Turkish police detain top Islamic State leader in Istanbul
A senior Islamic State operative has been arrested in Istanbul following a tip from US intelligence services.
![The Saudi Arabia's consulate is cordoned off by Turkish police in Istanbul on Oct. 15, 2018.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/2021-05/GettyImages-1052210606.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=odx4a8ME)
Acting on a tip from the US government, Turkish authorities have arrested a senior Islamic State operative in Istanbul, the latest in a string of arrests of jihadis in Turkey, state-run Turkish radio and television reported today.
Mustafa Abdulwahab Mahmud, a 32-year-old Egyptian who was a top explosives expert for IS, was detained with three other suspects in Istanbul after fleeing Syria, TRT said, following a tip from US intelligence services. In early May, Turkey arrested an Afghan national code-named Basim described as the “right-hand man” of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who killed himself to avoid capture by US forces in October 2019 after he was tracked down in a hideout close to the Turkish border.