All 13 suspects, including Hasan Süslü, who were detained on Jan. 13 for recruiting militants for Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), also known as Al-Qaeda in Syria, have been released pending trial, the IHA news agency reported on Thursday.
Only two of the suspects are subject to judicial supervision, meaning they must periodically report to a local police station or face a travel ban, a measure not imposed on the others.
Süslü leads a front NGO called the Aid and Solidarity Association for the Poor (Fukara Yardımlaşma ve Dayanışma Derneği, or Fukara-Der), which was set up on Sept. 11, 2013 in the city of Seyhan in southeastern Adana province.
The NGO provides logistical support to jihadist groups and their families and supplies goods and services on demand from the ground in Syrian cities such as Idlib, Jarablus, al-Bab and other places in the north of Syria where jihadist groups have been operating.
The NGO was subject to an investigation in Europe for raising funds that were channelled to jihadists. Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) is reportedly looking into Süslü’s finances.
Turkey has come under criticism and pressure for allowing such groups to operate freely on the Turkish-Syrian border. The group was listed as terrorist organization in Turkey in September 2018.
