Turkish authorities have detained 115 suspected Islamic State members they said were planning to carry out attacks on Christmas and New Year celebrations in the country.
Istanbul's chief prosecutor's office revealed this on Thursday 25 December, a day set aside by Christians worldwide to celeberate Christmas.
Police said they obtained information that Islamic State members had planned attacks in Türkiye, against non-Muslims in particular, during Christmas and New Year celebrations.
In a statement released on X, the chief prosecutor's office said that the arrests were a culmination of investigations carried out by the anti-terror department.
“Information was found that the ISIS Armed Terrorist Organisation was planning to carry out actions targeting our country, especially non-Muslim individuals, within the scope of the upcoming Christmas and New Year events,” the statement said.
“They were in contact with conflict zones within the scope of terrorist organisation activities,” it added.
Around 124 places were raided by the Police in Istanbul, capturing 115 of the 137 suspects they were seeking, the statement said.
Authorities added that they were still pursuing about 24 individuals who remain at large, noting that the detained suspects had arrest warrants issued against them in Türkiye and internationally.
This latest development comes days after Turkish intelligence officials captured a senior administrator within the Islamic state organisation.
The individual named as Mehmet Gören, was aprehended in the Afghanistan - Pakistan border region.
Operating under codename 'Yahya', he was assigned to carry out suicide attacks against civillians in Türkiye, Europe, Pakistan and Afghanistan according to security sources.
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. T...
The UK government has nationalised British Steel, taking full ownership of the country's only primary steelmaker from its Chinese owners to safeguard ...
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev invited Chinese technology companies to expand investment in Kazakhstan during a business roundtable in Shangha...
Parts of what are believed to be a Russian surface-to-air missile washed ashore at two locations on Türkiye’s Black Sea coast over the weekend, prompting bomb-disposal operations and security measures.
U.S. rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye, performed to a crowd of 118,000 people in Istanbul on Saturday night, marking his first concert in Europe in more than a decade, despite being barred from performing in several countries over past antisemitic remarks.
Approximately $8 billion worth of contracts are expected to be signed at SAHA Expo 2026 in Istanbul, Türkiye. The major international defence, aerospace and space industry exhibition is being held over five days from 5 - 6 May.
One of the region’s largest defence and aerospace exhibitions has opened in Istanbul, bringing together companies, officials and industry experts from around the world.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
The United States carried out a third consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed a 20% fee on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. The operation targeted command centres, air defence systems, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance sites across multiple locations.
The death toll from the fire at a live music pub in Bangkok has climbed to 32 after two more victims died from their injuries, according to Thailand's Police Hospital.
Ukraine and Russia exchanged fresh attacks on Tuesday, with Kyiv targeting shipping and energy infrastructure inside Russia while Moscow launched another large-scale missile and drone assault on Ukrainian cities.
Two British hackers who carried out a cyberattack on Transport for London (TfL) that cost the transport authority £29 million to remediate have been jailed for a total of 11 years.
At least 11 people have been killed and 19 injured in a fire at an orphanage on the outskirts of the Algerian capital, state media reported. The blaze broke out early on Thursday at the institution in the eastern suburbs of Algiers.
A woman whose husband was sucked out of the window of a plane during a Ryanair flight has recounted pulling her husband to safety. Serbian couple Svetlana Maksimovic and Ljubisa Karovic had just settled into a flight with the airline last week, when a loud bang pierced the hum of engines.
Russia launched a fresh wave of missile strikes on Ukraine early on Thursday, saying it had hit military and industrial facilities in Kyiv, as well as key port infrastructure in the southern Odesa region.
Uganda is expected to discharge its final Ebola patient on Thursday, beginning the 42-day countdown required before the country can be declared free of the virus if no new cases emerge, according to a government spokesperson.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment