Turkey: Terrorist held after 20 years in hiding

MUS, Turkey

A convicted terrorist who was in hiding for over 20 years was arrested in the city of Mus, southeastern Turkey on Wednesday, security sources said.

In 2000, the man, identified by the initials Y.Y., was convicted of "being a member of the Hezbollah terrorist organization" and sentenced in absentia to six years and three months in prison.

The Hezbollah terror group in Turkey, which was founded in late 1980s, is not affiliated with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and it is often referred to as "the Turkish Hezbollah" (or Hizbullah).

Having managed to evade capture for two decades, the suspect was caught in an operation by gendarmerie forces, who found out that he was hiding in a village close to the city center.

An operation was conducted and the suspect was found holed up in a secret hiding spot in his house.

It was learnt that, for 20 years, the suspect had been hiding in stables during the summer, and a secret room during the winter.

He was assisted by neighbors, who would alert him whenever security forces were in the area.

*Writing by Firdevs Bulut