Turkey detains Russian 'planning drone attack on US warplane'

State-run Anadolu news agency said that Renat Bakiev is accused of seeking to stage an attack at "the Incirlik airbase or a plane stationed there".

Quoting local police, it said that "for this purpose, he worked to obtain a drone".

Dogan news agency added that Bakiev is suspected of seeking to "stage a bomb attack aiming to bring down a US plane using a drone" at the Incirlik airbase. He allegedly carried out reconnaissance work for the plot, both reports said, without giving further details on how the plan would have been put in place.

Anadolu further reported the suspect had asked fellow IS members through the Telegram messaging app for 2,800 lira ($790) in order to buy the drone.The Russian embassy in Ankara said in a statement it was "carrying out the necessary work to understand what happened and make clear the circumstances" The United States uses Incirlik, in Adana province, as a key base for air strikes against the IS jihadists in neighbouring Syria.

Bakiev also is suspected of carrying out preparations for a plot to attack a centre of the Alevi religious minority— an offshoot of the Shia sect of Islam — in Adana city, Dogan reported. Bakiev was detained in Adana, it said. A court later remanded him in custody ahead of trial. Anadolu also reported claims that Bakiev had been to Syria to fight with IS and had sought to stage an attack against American forces there, but without success. Images showed the suspect — clean shaven and wearing an orange T-shirt — being led to a medical check by two Turkish policemen after his arrest.