ISIS chief Abdulnasser al-Qirdash ‘arrested by Iraqi special forces’ months after death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
ISIS chief Abdulnasser al-Qirdash has been arrested by Iraqi special forces in a raid, according to reports tonight.
He was named number two in the terror group following the death of former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi last October.
At one stage he was even seen as a successor to the bloodthirsty leader.
“Today, the terrorist named Abdulnasser al-Qirdash, the candidate to succeed the criminal al-Baghdadi, was arrested,” a statement from the Iraqi National Intelligence Service read.
They released a photo of a somber and thin al-Qirdash, standing alone in a room in a check shirt with his hands by his side.
News outlets in the region say he is the highest ranking Islamic State officer ever to be taken into custody.
Firebrand Baghdadi was killed when US forces stormed his compound in northwestern Syria and he blew up self-up with a suicide vest after being cornered in a tunnel.
The death left a void at the helm of the death cult and anti-terror organisations were left wondering who would take his place.
At the time ISIS stated: "Whosoever fulfills what he has covenanted with Allah...he will bestow on him a great reward."
The terror group then went on to warn America not to "rejoice in the killing" of its leader before adding future attacks will not be limited to the Middle East.
The speech threatened: "America, don't you realise that the Islamic State is now at the forefront of Europe and West Africa? It is extended from the East to the West."
It also called on followers to continue Baghdadi's mission to free captured ISIS prisoners so they can cause more bloodshed across the planet.
The murderous organisation did not provide many details about the new leader or release a photo, but it did describe him as a "prominent figure in jihad".
It's since been reported Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi has taken over at the helm.
Last week, we reported how ISIS jihadis were rampant in Syria and Iraq once again – launching prison breaks and depraved suicide bomb attacks.
The Islamic death cult was crushed last year when they were driven out of their last enclave in north eastern Syria.
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ISIS declared the creation of a "caliphate" - a state governed in accordance with Sharia law - after seizing control of huge swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014 and imposing its brutal rule on millions.
It proclaimed Baghdadi as "Caliph Ibrahim" and demanded allegiance from Muslims worldwide.
The group still has thousands of "members" in Iraq and Syria, according to a recent US report.