Turkish security forces detained 14 suspects in Istanbul over their alleged ties to Daesh terrorist group, an official said Sunday.
Provincial counterterrorism units on June 11 simultaneously raided 20 addresses across 13 Istanbul districts and made the arrests, said the official, who wished to remain anonymous due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
In 2013, Turkey became one of the first countries to declare Daesh a terrorist group.
The country has since been attacked by the terrorist group multiple times, with over 300 people killed and hundreds more injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks and four armed assaults.
In response, Turkey launched counterterrorism operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.
Turkey detained Daesh's so-called “Turkish emir,” Mahmut Özden, in August. He was planning to carry out an attack on the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque and target politicians, nongovernmental organization (NGO) heads and other prominent figures in Turkey, according to the official investigation.
