Turkish intelligence nabs another suspect who desecrated Türkiye's flag in northern Syria

By Isa Toprak

ANKARA (AA) – Turkish intelligence on Saturday apprehended another suspect involved in the desecration of the Turkish flag in northern Syria, security sources said.

Provocations targeting Türkiye took place in northern Syria after violence in Türkiye’s Kayseri province last week.

Efforts were initiated to apprehend suspects who tore and disrespected the Turkish flag, and attempted actions against Turkish security forces.

In the operations carried out by National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Ali Almohamed Alhaj Hasan Hammad, who was part of the group that took down and tore the Turkish flag during protests in the city of Azaz, was apprehended by the Syrian National Army, said the sources who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

"I apologize to the honorable Turkish people for my actions," the suspect involved in the attack on the Turkish flag was quoted as saying.

When a Syrian national was arrested for sexually abusing a 7-year-old in Kayseri, the incident sparked outrage among residents, leading to violence and negative social media trends against Syrians, about 4 million of whom are hosted in Türkiye due to a civil war in their country that started in 2011.

Turkish security forces are present in northern Syria, near Türkiye’s southern frontier, as part of an anti-terrorist force to keep safe both locals and Turkish nationals across the border.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz