Russian ISIL suspect caught at Mersin nuclear plant

Turkish counterterrorism forces apprehended a Russian ISIL suspect who was working at a nuclear power plant being built in the country's south, local media reported on Feb. 13.

The Russian national had been working at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in Mersin under false identity papers, several reports noted.

The $20 billion power plant being built by Russian state-owned energy giant Rosatom in the southern province, was inaugurated last April and is expected to start producing electricity next year.

The suspect was brought before a court and jailed pending trial.

Two ISIL militants are accused of fatally shooting a man at the Roman Catholic Saint Maria Church in Istanbul last month. Dozens of suspects were detained in relation to the attack, including the two gunmen. Hours after the incident, ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack and made a statement on its Telegram channel on Jan. 28 that read that the attack was in response to their so-called leader's call to kill Jews and Christians everywhere.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya last week said 147 people suspected of having ties to ISIL have been arrested across the country.

ISIL extremists have carried out a string of attacks on Turkish soil, including one at a nightclub in Istanbul in 2017 that left 39 people dead.