British man, wife detained on Turkish-Syrian border

ANKARA, Turkey – An official says a British man and his wife have been detained on the Turkish border after arriving from an area of Syria held by the Islamic State group.

A European security official familiar with the case confirmed Thursday that Stefan Aristidou and his wife were stopped last week. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about the investigation, said the man came from north London.

The official says it is not immediately clear why Aristidou had travelled to IS-controlled territory. The official could not immediately confirm the identity of Aristidou’s wife.

A British Foreign Office spokesperson says British authorities are in contact with Turkish authorities “following the detention of a British man on the Turkey/Syria border.”

____

Dodds reported from London.