Al-Qaeda Trainer from Russia Applying for Refugee Status in Korea Faces Deportation

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] It was revealed belatedly that a training instructor of the Islamic extremist armed group 'Al-Qaeda' was caught and deported while applying for refugee status in South Korea.

The National Police Agency announced on the 16th that a Russian national, Mr. A, who served as a training instructor for armed members of 'Al-Nusra Front,' the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, was arrested in January this year and handed over to Russia.

Al-Nusra Front is an Islamic extremist armed group active in northwestern Syria, and Mr. A was on Interpol's 'Red Notice' list.

At a press conference that day, Lee Yong-pyo, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, explained, "We received intelligence that a member of the Al-Nusra Front had infiltrated the country and tracked him," adding, "In the process, we confirmed from Russian authorities that he was on the terrorist watchlist."

The police arrested Mr. A at his residence on January 15 and immediately deported him the same day. It was reported that Mr. A did not respond to the police's questions at the time.

A police official said, "He entered the country for the purpose of evasion," and added, "We conducted forensic investigations to see if there were any special activities domestically, but nothing was found."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.