Three New Zealanders, including a woman who is said to be a member of the Islamic State, were caught by Turkey entering Syria illegally, according to Turkish authorities.
The New Zealand citizens were captured by border guards in the Reyhanli district in the southern province of Hatay, which borders war-torn Syria, the Ministry of Defense said on its official Twitter account.
“Three citizens of New Zealand who are trying to enter our country illegally from Syria have been captured by our border guards,” he said.
“A 26-year-old woman named ‘SA’ ‘has been identified as a DAESH (Islamic State) terrorist wanted by a’ blue notice ‘,” the tweet said.
An Interpol Blue Notice is issued to collect additional information about a person’s identity, location or activities related to a crime.
The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that it is aware of the case but has not provided any further details.