Some 39 Daesh suspects have been caught in operations across 18 provinces of Türkiye, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Monday.
Yerlikaya wrote on social media that the suspects have been caught in operations carried out by the public prosecutor’s offices, gendarmerie general commands and the police’s counterterrorism departments in Adana, Bursa, Çankırı, Çorum, Denizli, Eskişehir, Hatay, Istanbul, Kahramanmaraş, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kilis, Kocaeli, Osmaniye, Sakarya, Samsun, Şanlıurfa and Tekirdağ.
It was determined that the suspects were members of the Daesh terrorist organization, had been providing financing to the organization through so-called aid organizations affiliated with Daesh and had been engaging in terrorism propaganda on social media.
The minister added that the operations have been conducted in two weeks.
Hailing the efforts of the participating institutions, Yerlikaya said: "Unity, togetherness and solidarity against terrorism is our greatest strength. We continue our operations uninterruptedly to ensure the peace and security of our people."
Meanwhile, three of eight suspects allegedly financing Daesh have been arrested in Istanbul within the scope of an investigation by the Istanbul public prosecutor’s office on the same day.
It was determined that the suspects were helping members of the organization in conflict zones in Syria and Türkiye, sending money to members who were collecting funds to prevent ruptures and acting as intermediaries in exchanging cryptocurrencies sent to the organization from abroad.
Police teams detained three suspects in an operation.
As part of the investigation, arrest warrants were issued for a total of five suspects, two of whom are abroad and three of whom are fugitives.
The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) thwarted the terrorist group's efforts for recruitment, obtaining funds and logistics support after its latest operation in the aftermath of a church shooting in Istanbul in January 2024.
Daesh remains the second biggest threat of terrorism for Türkiye, which faces security risks from multiple terrorist groups and was one of the first countries to declare it a terrorist group in 2013.
In December last year, Turkish security forces detained 32 suspects over alleged links with Daesh, who were planning attacks on churches and synagogues, as well as the Iraqi Embassy.
Terrorists from Daesh and other groups, such as the PKK and its Syrian wing, the YPG, rely on a network of members and supporters in Türkiye.
Turkish authorities have ordered the freezing of millions of lira worth of assets since 2013 to crack down on terrorism financiers in line with United Nations sanctions.
