One hundred and nine illegal immigrants repatriated from Thailand to China on Thursday had been on their way to Turkey, Syria or Iraq to join jihad, the Ministry of Public Security confirmed Saturday.

Several recruitment gangs were uncovered in Turkey by a Chinese police investigation, which also discovered that Turkish diplomats in some Southeast Asian countries had facilitated the illegal movement of people.

A large number of radicalized Chinese and organized gangs' leaders, also known as "snakeheads", have been deported from Southeast Asia this year, the ministry said.