Over 350 Daesh terror suspects arrested across Türkiye: Interior minister
Around 41 of the suspects are linked to Monday's terror incident in Yalova province and were planning similar attacks in Istanbul during New Year’s celebrations, authorities say.
A total of 357 suspects were arrested across Türkiye as part of an operation against the Daesh terror group, the country’s interior minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Tuesday.
In a post shared on Turkish social media platform NSosyal, Yerlikaya said that simultaneous counterterrorism operations across 21 provinces resulted in the detention of the suspects.
He stated that the operations were conducted by provincial police units in coordination with the chief public prosecutors’ offices, as well as the police counterterrorism and intelligence departments, emphasising that Türkiye would show no tolerance towards terrorism.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said that 110 suspects were arrested in the metropolis.
It said that 41 of them were linked to the terrorists involved in Monday's incident in Yalova province, where six Daesh terrorists were killed in a counterterrorism operation by Turkish security forces. The suspects arrested in Istanbul were planning similar attacks in the city during New Year’s celebrations.
A statement from the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office also said that it issued arrest warrants for 17 Daesh terror suspects, including 11 foreign nationals.
The suspects are accused of being members of the terrorist group and maintaining contact with conflict zones, the statement said.
It said the Terror Crimes Investigation Bureau identified the suspects through analyses of digital materials seized during previous Daesh-related investigations.