Halis Bayuncuk, alleged to be one of the senior members of ISIL in Turkey, was detained in a massive police sweep across Istanbul on Friday, according to the reports.
Bayuncuk, also known by his pseudonym, Abu Hanzala, was held along with his wife after the police raided their home in the district of Bağcılar. Police seized illegal documents and digital materials at the couple's home, during the raid.
On Saturday, he was escorted into Haseki hospital by the police for a medical check-up, along with a group of suspects rounded up on Friday morning. When he left the police minibus, his hands were seen being scuffed in the front.
Earlier in July, some media outlets reported that Bayuncuk held a prayer service when a huge group, allegedly consisting of 1,000 ISIL members, gathered at a picnic site in Istanbul's Ömerli neighborhood to mark the Eid al-Fitr; a major religious holiday on the Islamic caldendar marking the end of Ramadan. In his 14-minute sermon, Bayuncuk strongly criticized democracy and urged for the formation of a state, which will be governed by religious laws.
Bayuncuk is the son of Hacı Bayuncuk, convicted of being a member of the Hezbollah terrorist organization. The suspected terrorist leader was taken into police custody on suspicion of aiding al-Qaeda in 2014 when police stormed the extremist group's cells across six provinces in 2014. He was released by the police after no indictment was prepared against him.
