Istanbul- Turkey said it has arrested a citizen on charges of belonging to the Islamic State extremist group, local news reported on Wednesday.
The 38-year-old man was arrested in Gaziantep, near the border with Syria, while trying to travel to Ankara.
The news report said that this was the first time a Turkish citizen was arrested on such a charge.
The man reportedly told authorities he joined the group to live in accordance with his Islamic faith.
He crossed into Syria with his twin 15-year-old sons in October.
However, the sons were still in Islamic-State controlled territory.
The man, who is in custody pending a trial, denied direct involvement in armed attacks.
The long and porous border has been used by foreign fighters to reach Syria since the civil war erupted in 2011.
There has been growing Western pressure on Turkey to clamp down on the border.
Ankara says it is taking measures but the border is difficult to control.
Turkey has been blamed for its support for the Syrian opposition to President Bashar al-Assad, including for extremist Islamist groups.
The government has also come under criticism for not taking a clear role in the U.S.-led military campaign against the Islamic State.
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Turkish bases remained off limits to the coalition.
Reports say Islamic State and other jihadist organisations have bases and sleeper cells inside Turkey.
A leaked police report claiming there are 3,000 people in Turkey who have ties to the Islamic State and present a security threat.
The Turkish army added that it had arrested four Islamic State members in the south. (dpa/NAN)
