One of the most recent candidates to be the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq & Syria (ISIS) is reported to have been arrested by Iraqi security forces; This individual is one of several that was expected to replace former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who died in late October 2019.

It was reported Thursday morning that Nasser al-Qirdash, who was likely to succeed former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has been arrested by Iraqi security forces. Al-Baghdadi died in late October 2019 after he detonated a suicide vest as US forces closed in on his location at a stronghold in Syria.

The Iraqi Intelligence Agency released a statement on Thursday saying, “Today, the terrorist named Nasser al-Qirdash, the candidate to succeed the criminal (Abu Bakr) al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, has been arrested.”

One report claims that when the Iraqi security forces made their arrest, they originally thought it was Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi, the current leader of ISIS, but after further review, they realized they were wrong. Regardless, it is believed by some in the region that al-Qirdash is one of the highest-ranking ISIS members to ever be taken into custody.