Ankara, Turkey – Turkish intelligence services announced the arrest of a Turkish citizen suspected of being a prominent leader in the “Islamic State” organization, during a security operation carried out in the region between Afghanistan and Pakistan, as part of Ankara’s efforts to pursue the organization’s networks outside its borders, according to the official Anadolu Agency on Monday.
The agency said the detainee is named Mohammed Guren, and is considered one of the suspected leaders of the ISIS terrorist organization. He was arrested during an operation carried out by the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT), before being transferred to Turkish territory to complete the investigations.
According to Turkish intelligence, Guren was planning to carry out “suicide attacks targeting civilians” in several countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkey, as well as European countries, reflecting the transnational nature of his activity within the organization.
The security services added that intelligence information confirmed that the suspect “agreed to carry out suicide attacks against civilians and facilitated the transfer of fighters” affiliated with ISIS from Turkey to the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, which is one of the most important centers of activity of the organization’s branch known as “ISIS-Khorasan”.
The ISIS-Khorasan branch, active in Afghanistan and Pakistan, is considered one of the most bloody and active branches of the organization in recent years, having claimed responsibility for a number of major attacks inside and outside the region.
Turkish intelligence indicated that Mehmet Guren “actively served in ISIS terrorist camps before rising to a leadership position,” which gave him an influential role in planning and execution.
The Anadolu Agency also reported that Gürsin was working in coordination with Özgür Altun, known as Abu Yasser al-Turki, who played a key role in transporting ISIS members from Turkey to the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. Altun, whom Ankara described as the highest-ranking Turkish ISIS official, was arrested in the same region and transferred to Turkey last June.
Turkish authorities say Altun gave direct orders to carry out attacks targeting concert halls crowded with civilians in Turkey and Europe. This comes amid growing fears of similar attacks, especially after the Islamic State-Khorasan group claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a Moscow concert hall in March 2024 that killed approximately 140 people.
