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Ìýhas captured the leader of Ìý(IS)Ìýgroup in Istanbul, according to reports Thursday.

Anti-terror police and intelligence agentsÌýsurveilled aÌýhouse where the extremist group's leader was suspected to be stayingÌýbefore arresting him,ÌýBloomberg , citing senior Turkish officials.

Turkish online news outletÌý°¿»å²¹°Õ³ÕÌý the arresteeÌýas suspected IS leaderÌýAbu Hasan al-Qurashi.ÌýBloomberg said it could not verify the identity of the man detained.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to announce the arrest in the coming days, OdaTVÌý²õ²¹¾±»å.

IS Abu Hasan al-Qurashi as its new leader in March, a month after his predecessorÌýAbu Ibrahim al-Qurashi was killed by US special forces in Syria.Ìý

The extremist group swept through parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014, establishing a self-described caliphateÌýthat committed crimes against humanity.

The group lost mostÌýits territory by 2019, but its remnants continueÌýto conduct attacks in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere.

Turkey has long been accused of harbouring IS militants, and allowing the groupÌýto funnel funds through the country. Ankara has strongly denied such allegations.

Turkish police regularly carry out raids to .