Australian Isis operative Neil Prakash 'may be alive' after being reported dead in airstrike

An Australian Islamic State (Isis) militant who has been reported dead twice, is still alive and under arrest in the Middle East, according to reports.

In April this year, Neil Prakash, a senior recruiter for Isis, was reported dead by the Australian government, who said he had been killed in US raid over Iraq.

Also known by his nom-de-guerre Abu Khaled al-Cambodi, Attorney-General George Brandis said at the time, he was killed in the Iraqi city of Mosul. The former Melbourne resident had been linked to terror plots in Australia and appeared in several propaganda videos and magazines.

Al-Cambodi, who is of Cambodian and Fijian heritage travelled to Syria in 2013 and has been wanted by the Australian federal police since August 2015. He was linked to plans to behead a police officer on Anzac Day.

ABC News spoke to a Turkish official who said that the Isis recruiter was arrested several weeks ago after Australian authorities contacted Turkey saying he was intending to enter the country. They said that al-Cambodi was arrested trying to cross from Syria into Turkey using false documents and a fake name.

It was reported that Turkey is now negotiating a handover with several countries who want to quiz the jihadist.

In a statement, the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Counter-Terrorism Michael Keenan said: "As a matter of longstanding practice, the Australian Government does not comment on matters of intelligence or law enforcement operations.

"Prakash has been linked to several Australia-based attack plans and calls for lone-wolf attacks against the United States," he added. "He has actively recruited Australian men, women and children, and encouraged acts of terrorism."

Al-Cambodi converted to Islam from Buddhism in 2012 before leaving Australia for Syria in 2013. After leaving Prakash was linked to a knife attack against two policemen committed by 18-year-old Numan Haider, who was shot dead.

In April 2015, a 12-minute Isis propaganda video surfaced online in which Prakash praised Haider for carrying out an attack. Australian media reported in January that he had been killed after speaking with a fellow jihadist on the encrypted Telegram app.