Turkish police have detained a Belgian man of Moroccan origin on suspicion that he scouted out the sites in Paris targetted by Islamic State (Isis) during the 13 November attacks that killed 130 people in Paris. Ahmet Dahmani, 26, was detained at a luxury hotel in the southern coastal city of Antalya, said the Dogan news agency, without citing its sources. Turkish officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

The report said two other men, both Syrian citizens, were also detained on a nearby highway on suspicion that they had been sent by IS in Syria to ensure Dahmani's safe passage across the border and were planning to meet him.

Counter-terrorism police first became aware of Dahmani when he arrived on a flight to Antalya and tracked him to the hotel in the Manavgat district of the city, Dogan said. Separately, Turkey deported a group of Moroccans detained at Istanbul's main airport this week over suspected links to IS.

The eight, who said they had arrived at Ataturk airport on Tuesday night (17 November) from Casablanca for a holiday, were detained by border police and questioned by profiling experts who flagged them as suspected militants, a government official said.

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