Turkish authorities have reportedly arrested an Islamic State militant suspected of planning a suicide bombing attack on the U.S. consulate in Istanbul, a government official said Tuesday.
While speaking on the condition of anonymity, the official said the suspect, later identified as Muhammed Raghil Al Hardani, was detained "in the past few days" at a bus station in Kahramanmaras while on his way to Gaziantep province, which borders Syria, after he was traced to the region by authorities, according to the Express.
News of the arrest comes after the U.S. consulate in Istanbul warned U.S. citizens last week to stay away from the building due to reports of a security threat, prompting officials to suspend activities for a day. Following the announcement, rumors began to surface that the nature of the security threat was a plot by Islamic militants aiming to attack the consulate via a suicide attack, according to NBC News.
After al-Hardani's arrest and subsequent questioning by anti-terror police, he was ordered to jail, pending trial. However, it's unclear exactly what charges he faces.
Turkey was hit by two attacks in recent months, reported ABC News. An attack near a town on the Syrian border in July and in Ankara in October - both of which were blamed on a Turkish ISIS cell - led to the deaths of 130 people.
