Tunisian doctor killed in Istanbul airport massacre had only flown to Turkey to convince his terror fanatic son to leave ISIS
Military medic had secured the release of son arrested for joining jihadists
A Tunisian military doctor who died in the Istanbul airport massacre was only in Turkey to try to wrest his son from the clutches of ISIS.
Brigadier General Fathi Bayoudh had been in the country in an attempt to repatriate his son after he had been arrested on suspicion of joining the jihadists.
After months of travelling back and forth from Tunisia, he had finally manged to persuade the lad to return home with him.
But tragedy struck when Bayoudh went to Ataturk Airport to meet his wife just as the triple suicide bombers targeted the arrivals terminal, killing at least 43 people.
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Bayoudh's son was accused of having joined ISIS in Syria, a foreign ministry source was quoted as saying by Tunisia's private Mosaique FM radio station.
The head of consular affairs at Tunis' foreign ministry, Faycal Ben Mustapha, said the Tunisian consulate in Istanbul had been in contact "with the Bayoudh family since December".
He said: "It was to do with their son. We don't know exactly what he did, but he went to Iraq and then Syria and ended up in detention in Turkey."
A defence ministry spokesman confirmed a Tunisian who was in Turkey on private business had been killed in Tuesday's attack.
The Islamic State group has carried out a string of bomb attacks across Turkey since last year.
Tunisia has also been the victim of attacks claimed by ISIS and it is thought that thousands of Tunisians have travelled to join jihadist organisations in Syria, Iraq, and neighbouring Libya.