Turkey has deported 1,100 European citizens who crossed into the country to join al-Qaeda-linked groups fighting in Syria amid increasing allegations that Ankara is turning a blind eye to terrorists using its territory to enter Syria, a Turkish daily reported on Monday.
Police arrested them with the help of the national intelligence organization MIT in raids after other countries informed Turkey that their citizens were using Turkey as a transit point to take up arms in Syria, the Habertürk newspaper said.
According to a report Turkey sent to European countries, there are still around 1,500 European citizens who want to go to Syria and fight on the front lines along with al-Qaeda, and that Turkey has been on alert about suspected jihadists.
The report said that intelligence sharing between Turkey and European countries on the suspected jihadists had been made through Interpol.
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