Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
World
Aljazeera

ISIL member blows himself up during Turkish police raid

The dead suspect is believed to be Yunus Durmaz, the alleged 'emir' of ISIL in Gaziantep [IHA via AP]

A suspected high-ranking member of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant blew himself up during a police raid in the Turkish city of Gaziantep.

Another suspect, believed to be the suicide bomber's brother, was taken alive during the raid on Thursday night at an apartment in the central district of Sehitkamil, Ali Yerlikaya, governor of Gaziantep, told Turkey's Anadolu Agency.

"We went to the location soon after we heard it happened last night," said Al Jazeera's Stefanie Dekker, reporting from Gaziantep."Witnesses said they heard an explosion."

Yerlikaya said the suspect died after deliberately setting off explosives he was wearing. "No citizens or security forces were hurt in the incident," he added.


OPINION: Turkey's summer of mayhem


The bomber may have been an "emir" of ISIL, also known as ISIS, in Gaziantep named Yunus Durmaz, the governor told the news agency.

Durmaz has been linked to the  Suruc and Ankara bombings that killed a total of 134 people last year. Turkish media reported that Durmaz planned both bombings and was in close contact with ISIL suicide attackers.

He has also been accused of involvement in the suicide car bombing that killed a police officer in Gaziantep two weeks ago. "The name of the suspect that we have in custody is Haci Ali Durmaz," the governor said.

"In the house that was raided there also was a woman and a child. During their interrogation, both the suspect and the woman said the man who set off explosives was Yunus Durmaz," Yerlikaya said.


OPINION: Turkey is not in bed with ISIL


"The officials are not confirming his identity yet," reported Dekker. "They are saying they are carrying DNA tests on his body." 

Durmaz and his brother Haci Ali Durmaz had been wanted by Turkish authorities for months.

In April, the General Directorate of Security Affairs sent out a warning about the Durmaz brothers to police departments in 81 Turkish cities, stating they may be planning new bomb attacks on civilians.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.