French-origin terrorist arrested while trying to enter Turkey from Syria

Turkey’s Defence Ministry says a French-origin man who was involved in the Syrian group Firqat al Ghuraba tried to enter the country from the southern Hatay province with a fake name.

Turkish Army officers block the outskirts of the village of Sugedigi, Turkey, on the border with Syria, Sunday, Jan 21, 2018.
AP

Turkish Army officers block the outskirts of the village of Sugedigi, Turkey, on the border with Syria, Sunday, Jan 21, 2018.

Turkish border guards have arrested a French-origin terrorist, sought with a red notice, trying to cross into Turkey via the country's southern border, according to Turkey's Defence Ministry.

Coming from Syria, the terrorist, identified only by the initials CG, tried to enter the country from the southern Hatay province with a fake name, said the ministry in a statement on Monday.

It was found that the terrorist was involved in the Syrian group Firqat al Ghuraba, which includes French nationals, it added.

Firqat al Ghuraba is a faction based in opposition-held areas in northwestern Idlib, Syria. The group mostly consists of foreigners from Europe.

The terrorist was transferred to police in Reyhanli district, the ministry said.

READ MORE: Turkey repatriates four French Daesh terrorists

Turkey's efforts to deport Daesh terrorists

In late November, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the country has deported nearly 9,000 foreign terrorists so far.

"Although we were left alone, we have nabbed nearly 9,000 foreign terrorists and sent them back to their countries," Erdogan said at the virtually organised summit. 

"We are the only NATO country fighting Daesh in Syria on the front line," Erdogan added. 

Turkey does its best to "eliminate the terrorist threat, prevent conflicts and strengthen stability," in the region, the president added.

The country had also warned European states about suspected Daesh terrorists that Turkey deported, with some of them later carrying out deadly attacks. 

In the latest incident, Turkey said it shared in-depth information about the Daesh terrorist responsible for the recent gun attack in Vienna with Austrian authorities in 2019.

The terrorist, Austrian national Kujtim Fejzulai who was handed to Austrian authorities, killed at least four people and wounded 22 others in a terror attack in the Austrian capital on the night of November 2.

READ MORE: Erdogan to G20 leaders: Turkey deported nearly 9,000 foreign terrorists

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