37 Suspects Linked to ISIS Arrested in Turkey

Turkish media reported on Wednesday, July 4, that the country's police have arrested 37 suspects believed to be members of the ISIS group in an anti-terror operation. According to Reuters, Turkish police arrested 25 individuals across Turkey on Tuesday night in a coordinated operation. In this context, the Dogan news agency reported that these individuals, suspected of being part of the 'Islamic Caliphate' or 'ISIS', had been under surveillance for four months. Anadolu Agency also reported that the operation took place in the provinces of Istanbul, Izmir, Kocaeli, Denizli, Agri, Bingol, Adiyaman, and Mardin. Anadolu adds that the aim of this operation was to thwart planned terrorist attacks and dismantle this group. Dogan news agency also reported that in a separate operation, police arrested 12 people, including two children, in Adana province on suspicion of links to ISIS on Tuesday night. Anadolu Agency quoted an unnamed source reporting that a 14-year-old Indonesian girl was among those arrested. According to this source, some of these suspects were planning attacks within Turkey, while others were preparing for terrorist attacks abroad. Religious gatherings in Konya and Gaziantep were among the targets of the suspects. Anadolu Agency states that nearly 190 people were arrested across Turkey last month on suspicion of links to terrorist groups, with 20 of them suspected of connections to ISIS. Turkish officials say that in recent years, more than five thousand people have been arrested in the country on suspicion of links to ISIS. Approximately 3,290 foreign fighters from 95 different countries have been expelled from Turkey, and the entry of more than 38,000 individuals into the country has been prevented. Meanwhile, according to Reuters, Turkish officials announced that they arrested an individual with 5 kilograms of explosives at the Syrian border. The Hatay provincial governor's office stated that on Tuesday, a Syrian citizen attempting to illegally enter Turkey was arrested with over five kilograms of TNT and nine detonators.