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Turkey arrests 189 Islamic State suspects

December 30, 2023

Raids across 37 cities and provinces came after Turkey said it thwarted planned Islamic State attacks on synagogues and churches. Over 220 people have been taken into custody in two days.

https://p.dw.com/p/4aiv5
Members of the Turkish Police Special Forces stand guard in front of the Interior Ministry following a bomb attack in Ankara, Turkey October 1, 2023.
Police said they thwarted Islamic State plans to attack synagogues and churches Image: Cagla Gurdogan/REUTERS

Turkish police arrested on Saturday 189 people suspected of belonging to the Islamic State militant group in wide raids across 37 cities and provinces.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya made the announcement in a social media post on Saturday. He stressed that Turkish police do not "tolerate any terrorists."

A day earlier, Turkey said it thwarted Islamic State plans to attack churches and synagogues. 

What do we know about the arrests?

Raided cities included the capital, Ankara, as well as Istanbul, Antalya, Bursa, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Izmir and Konya. 

Yerlikaya shared images of alleged IS members being handcuffed in their apartments during the night raids.

The raids come after Turkish officials announced the arrest of 32 suspected Islamic State members. Police said they were allegedly involved in plotting an attack on the Iraqi embassy.

The militant Islamic State group claimed in 2017 a deadly Istanbul nightclub attack on New Year's Eve, which left 39 people killed.

rmt/sms (Reuters, DPA)