Turkish Police Arrest 450 Suspected of Ties to ISIS

In Turkey's largest anti-terror operation, police arrested over 450 individuals suspected of connections to the Islamic State group, known as ISIS. This operation took place a month after an attack on a nightclub in Istanbul that left 39 dead, for which ISIS claimed responsibility. According to the Dogan and Anadolu news agencies, most of those arrested are foreign nationals suspected of planning attacks in Turkey. Turkish media also reported that during this operation, 150 Syrian citizens were detained in hotels and private homes in Sanliurfa province, near the Syrian border, and 85 others in other provinces bordering Syria. Turkish police stated that most arrests occurred in the cities of Bursa and Bingol. On Sunday evening, Turkey's anti-terror police also arrested 60 suspects in Ankara believed to be collaborating with ISIS. Anadolu news agency reported that 9 Syrian citizens suspected of traveling and planning terrorist attacks were detained in Izmir. Over the past year and a half, Turkey has repeatedly been targeted by armed attacks and bombings, most of which have been claimed by ISIS or attributed to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and other Kurdish groups. In the latest terrorist attack in the country, in the early hours of 2017, an armed assailant entered a nightclub, shooting at attendees, killing 39 people and injuring dozens. Turkish police finally arrested the perpetrator of this terrorist attack, named Abdulkadir Masharipov, who is a citizen of Uzbekistan, on January 17. ISIS claimed responsibility for this massacre.