Turkish police 'seize Islamic State coin-makers'
Officials in Gaziantep say they have seized material used by IS militants to produce coins for use as currency in areas the group controls in Syria.
An image of a five dinar coin circulated on social media earlier this year
Published date: 9 October 2015 13:55 BST
|
Last update: 8 years 6 months ago
Officials say Turkish police have arrested six foreign nationals and seized material allegedly used by Islamic State (IS) militants to produce coins for the group.
A statement from a local governor's office said police had seized the coin-making equipment inside a building in Gaziantep city, near the border with Syria, as well as in the suspects' vehicles.
It said the coins produced are used as currency in IS-controlled areas. The statement, posted on the website of the Gaziantep governor's office, did not provide information on the suspects or say when they were arrested.
IS announced last year that it would start producing its own currency in an effort to "emancipate itself from the satanic global economic system".
The currency, based on the original dinar coins used during the Caliphate of Uthman in 634 CE, was set to include seven minted coins: two gold, three silver and two copper. One gold dinar would be worth about $139.
An anti-IS activist by the name of Abu Ibrahim Raqqawi, who lives in the IS-controlled city of Raqqa, posted photographs of the coins on his Twitter account earlier this year, saying they were due to come into circulation soon.
Designs were embossed on the gold coins included a symbol of seven wheat stalks - a Quranic reference, and a world map.
The prototypes were also inscribed with a message in Arabic reading “The Islamic State - a caliphate based on the doctrine of the Prophet.”
Stay informed with MEE's newsletters
Sign up to get the latest alerts, insights and analysis, starting with Turkey Unpacked
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
