Three Kiwis, including an alleged Islamic State terrorist, have reportedly been caught trying to enter Turkey illegally from Syria.
The trio were caught by border guards at Reyhanlı, a town near Turkey's southern border with the war-torn nation, just west of Aleppo.
"Three New Zealand nationals trying to enter our country illegally from Syria were caught by our border guards in Hatay's Reyhanlı district," the Turkish Ministry of National Defence said in a statement.
"A 26-year-old woman named S.A. among those caught was identified as a DAESH terrorist wanted with a 'blue notice'."
Daesh is another name used for Islamic State. A blue notice, issued by Interpol, is a call for local authorities to "collect additional information about a person's identity, location or activities in relation to a crime".
Video uploaded by conservative Turkish newspaper Yeni Şafak showed a woman wearing a niqab and carrying a small child being led by a woman wearing a facemask but no headdress. A middle-aged man, also with a small child, accompanies them, as photographers snap images.
"We can confirm we are aware of this information," a spokesperson for the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade told Newshub, without elaborating further.
An estimated 400,000 to 600,000 people have died in fighting in Syria in the past decade, a civil war with multiple sides - including Islamic State, which at present is a shadow of its former self.
