The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued arrest warrants against 137 Islamic State suspects, out of which 115 were taken into custody.
Turkey’s Istanbul police conducted multiple raids across 124 locations in the country on Thursday and detained over a hundred suspected members of the Islamic State (IS) groups who were allegedly planning attacks during Christmas and New Year celebrations.
The Istanbul Police Counter-Terrorism Department launched the crackdown and arrested IS suspects in the country who were planning a deadly attack.
According to a statement issued by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, the authorities received information that the extremist organisation had issued an ultimatum to take action against non-Muslims during Christmas and New Years celebrations, Associated Press reported.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued arrest warrants against 137 Islamic State suspects, out of which 115 were taken into custody.
During the raid, officers also seized several firearms, cartridges and organizational documents during the raids. Istanbul police’s counter terrorism operation is still underway and the authorities expect to crackdown on other extremist elements as well.
(with inputs from Associated Press)
