Briton who fled Syria held in Turkey suspected of being IS member

A Briton suspected of fleeing Syria after spending two years in Islamic State-held territory has been arrested in Turkey.

Stefan Aristidou, from London, is being held on suspicion of terror offences after surrendering to authorities near the Turkey/Syria border.

The 23-year-old had been missing for two years and was arrested in Kilis, a Turkish town three miles from the Syrian border and 43 miles from Aleppo, last week.

Turkish authorities said he is suspected of being a member of the Islamic State group.

Aristidou, who is of Greek heritage, told police he had travelled to Syria to settle rather than fight.

He reportedly told investigators he had lived in Raqqa, the de facto capital of IS, and al Bab, a city formerly under IS control.

His family in London are shocked by the news of his arrest and the allegations he faces.

One relative, who did not want to be named, said: “I know his parents, stuff like that doesn’t really happen in our family.”

An appeal was launched by the Lucie Blackman Trust, a charity supporting families of Britons missing or murdered overseas, after Aristidou disappeared in 2015.

Turkish authorities are reportedly seeking to jail Aristidou for between seven-and-a-half and 15 years and he could face further prosecution under terror legislation when he returns to the UK. About 800 British individuals “of national security concern” have travelled to take part in the Syrian conflict.