Irish citizen captured by group fighting against IS in Syria
- Published
The man was captured in Syria by militias fighting against the group calling itself Islamic State
An Irish citizen has been captured in Syria by militias fighting against the group calling itself Islamic State, according to Irish broadcaster RTÉ.
RTÉ reported that the man, aged 45, was originally from Belarus, but holds an Irish passport.
He is believed to have lived and worked in Ireland for a number of years and left for the Middle East in 2013.
Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar said he was aware of the situation.
Speaking in Mali, Mr Varadkar said: "I've only heard about that in the last short while.
"The information we have is that an Irish citizen has been taken into custody in Syria.
"We don't know the details of that so I can't comment on it in any detail, but what I can say is that any Irish citizen around the world is entitled to consular assistance and will get that."
Gardaà have said the man was known to them in the context of the monitoring of individuals sympathetic to radical causes.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs has said no requests for consular assistance on behalf of an Irish citizen captured in Syria have been made to it.