Dozens of Daesh extremists arrested in Turkey for plotting attacks on New Year's Eve
According to the official statement released on Saturday, Turkish security forces have arrested nearly 270 suspects -- including dozens of them foreign nationals -- over their ties to the bloody-minded terror groups. The authorities told media outlets that the suspected Daesh extremists had been plotting attacks for New Year's Eve.
- Türkiye
- Agencies and A News
- Published Date: 12:43 | 02 January 2021
- Modified Date: 12:55 | 02 January 2021
Turkish authorities have detained 267 suspects, 161 of them foreign nationals, for their alleged links to terrorist organizations, state news agency Anadolu reported on Saturday.
Police believe the suspected Daesh extremists had been plotting attacks for New Year's Eve, the report said without elaborating.
The suspects were detained during raids in 33 cities and provinces between December 20 and 31, Anadolu said, citing a statement from the Interior Ministry.
The nationalities of the foreign detainees have not been made public.
Separately, Turkey's immigration authority was holding 69 foreign nationals over their "links to conflict zones," the report added.
Police are said to have seized pistols, explosive materials and digital documents linked to terrorist groups in raids against those 69 people.
No specific terrorist group was mentioned.
Turkey has been routinely targeting individuals linked to Daesh [ISIS], particularly since the extremist group killed 39 people in an attack on an Istanbul nightclub in the early hours of January 1, 2017.