![A Turkish tank returns from Syria during clashes between the Turkish army and ISIS in this file photo from September 4th, 2016, taken at Elbeyli, in the Kilis region. [Bulent Kilic/AFP]](/cnmi_di/images/2020/02/18/22502-Turkish-tank-ISIS-700_496.webp)
Turkish police have arrested a suspected former executioner for the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) in Syria, who became a gas repairman when he returned to civilian life in Turkey, local media reported Tuesday (February 18th).
The 50-year-old Syrian, known by his nickname "Abu Taki al-Shami", was arrested at a construction site on Monday in the Bursa province of north-west Turkey, state news agency Anadolu said.
The agency described him as an executioner for a senior ISIS leader in the Deir Ezzor region of eastern Syria, a former stronghold of the extremist group.
A video of his arrest showed him in work clothes and closely shaved.
It is alleged he is the same man videoed several years ago in Syria with a full beard, killing a civilian with a shot to the back of the head.
His arrest led to the detention of three others in Bursa on Tuesday over alleged ISIS links, Anadolu said.
ISIS held vast swathes of territory across Syria and Iraq from its rise in 2014 until its military defeat last year.
Turkish authorities have cracked down heavily on extremist cells after a spate of devastating attacks inside Turkey in 2015.
