By Sait Burak Utucu &euro news
Release date
Turkish police on Thursday detained 115 people believed to be members of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group after a raid targeting a plot to attack Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Istanbul’s chief prosecutor said authorities had issued arrest warrants for 137 suspects on suspicion of preparing attacks during the festival.
Police searched 124 addresses across Istanbul and detained 115 people, with efforts to arrest the remaining 22 suspects continuing.
Officers seized a pistol, ammunition and organizational documents during the search. Prosecutors said some of the suspects were involved in participating in the conflict, and others were wanted on arrest warrants for terrorist crimes at the domestic and international level.
Ankara’s gendarmerie warned on December 19 that IS could carry out attacks in Ankara and Istanbul before New Year’s Eve.
The group plans to carry out simultaneous attacks on shopping centers and public markets through armed attacks, suicide bombings, car bombs, drone attacks and vehicle crashes, the warning said.
Dismantling financial networks
Earlier this week, Ankara’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office issued detention warrants for 10 suspects in an investigation into the Islamic State group’s financial structure, authorities announced on Tuesday.
An investigation by the Terrorism Crime Investigation Department, using Financial Crimes Investigation Committee reports and social media analysis, revealed the organization’s structure in Ankara.
According to investigators, the suspects provided cash through bank accounts to IS members and their families in conflict zones in Syria, with explanations such as “a call for unity, redemption, and aid to our sisters in captivity.”
IS has previously carried out several deadly attacks across Türkiye.
On October 10, 2015, an IS suicide bomber attacked a peaceful rally outside Ankara train station, killing at least 102 people and injuring more than 400, in Turkey’s deadliest terrorist attack ever. The trial related to this attack is still ongoing.
On January 1, 2017, a gunman attacked the Reina nightclub in Istanbul during New Year’s celebrations, killing 39 people.
Additionally, hundreds of civilians lost their lives in IS attacks on Atatürk, Suruc, and Diyarbakir airports between 2015 and 2017.
