Ankara (Turkey), Dec. 30 (LaPresse) – Turkish police carried out large-scale operations against ISIS in Istanbul and Ankara, arresting over 100 suspects, authorities reported. The operations followed a deadly clash in the northwestern province of Yalova, where three police officers and six ISIS militants were killed. During the raid on a house used as a militant hideout, eight officers and a night guard were also injured.
According to authorities, Turkey launched a series of raids last week against suspected ISIS cells after receiving information about potential attacks planned during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Simultaneous searches were conducted at 114 addresses across Istanbul and two other provinces, resulting in 110 arrests, the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office said. Some of those detained were linked to the militants involved in the Yalova clash, while others were suspected of planning attacks near New Year celebrations. Several of the arrested are also accused of collecting funds under the guise of charity and channeling them to ISIS networks in Syria.
In Ankara, police detained 17 suspects, including 11 foreign nationals. Authorities said digital material seized during the searches connected them to active ISIS fighters in conflict zones. ISIS has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in Turkey in the past, the deadliest being the armed attack on an Istanbul nightclub during New Year’s celebrations on January 1, 2017, which killed 39 people.