Eurasia Press & News
Turkey’s security forces have arrested 30 suspected ISIS terrorists, primarily foreigners, in different parts of the country as part of preemptive operations to prevent possible terrorist attacks during the New Year celebrations.
The security units arrested 23 persons linked to ISIS in Ankara during a joint security operation carried out by the intelligence and police services, based on an arrest warrant issued by the Public Prosecution Office.
The detainees were involved with ISIS and linked to the conflict areas in Syria and Iraq.
At the same time, anti-terror forces in the southern Osmaniye province arrested six people who had previously participated in ISIS armed activities in Syria.
The state said the gendarmerie’s counter-terrorism teams launched a security operation to reduce potential threats ahead of the New Year. They confiscated electronic devices found at the suspects’ residences.
In the northwestern province of Bolu, combat forces arrested several Iraqis after receiving a report about the presence of persons linked to the terrorist organization.
Over the past two weeks, Turkey has intensified its campaigns against suspects linked to ISIS. The authorities announced that they had thwarted a plot to carry out a terrorist attack in Mersin and Adana on New Year’s Eve.
The campaigns also resulted in the arrest of six ISIS terrorists and the seizure of many digital materials and documents belonging to the organization.
Authorities also arrested 21 ISIS and al-Qaeda terrorists in connection to fighting in Syria and Iraq.
Turkish authorities also launched a campaign targeting cells responsible for supporting ISIS financially.
Anti-terror forces arrested 16 people, mostly foreigners, in a campaign that included: Ankara, Istanbul, Adana, Balikesir, Konya, and Sanliurfa.
During the raids, authorities uncovered many banned organizational documents and publications promoting the terrorist organization.
Turkish security forces have continued operations targeting ISIS cells since 2017, after the terrorist organization attacked the Reina nightclub in Istanbul on New Year’s Eve, killing 69 people, most of whom were foreigners.
ISIS had previously announced its responsibility for carrying out several terrorist operations across Turkey between 2015 and 2017, killing over 300 people and injuring hundreds of others.
The Ministry of Interior announced that between December 2015 and December 2020, 8,143 foreigners were deported on suspicion of terrorism. About 100,000 people are banned from entering the country for the same reason.
