Report: IS Suspect Commits Suicide in Turkish Jail

W460

A Syrian national who was arrested on suspicion of belonging to the Islamic State group has committed suicide in a Turkish prison, local media reported on Wednesday.

Nedim Bellus, 35, was detained by Turkish police in an operation last week on suspicion of being an IS member and imprisoned in Iskendurun, a town in Hatay province near the Syrian border, the private Dogan news agency reported.

Authorities found his body hanging above his bed, Dogan said, adding that a probe into his death had been launched.

Turkey has long been under pressure to do more to stem the flow of jihadists going to war-torn Syria to join IS -- and to stop them from coming back.

The government says it has tightened border security while urging the West to do more to prevent European jihadists from leaving for Turkey in the first place as well as sharing intelligence more widely.

A member of U.S.-led coalition fighting IS, Turkey has also been hit by attacks blamed on jihadists, including two deadly suicide bombings in Istanbul that targeted foreign tourists.

In the last few weeks, IS has repeatedly fired rockets on the Turkish town of Kilis on the Syrian border, prompting the Turkish army to respond with artillery fire.

Comments 0