A Daesh member was caught in an operation in Istanbul while preparing a terrorist attack Friday.
As the Istanbul Police Department continues efforts to uncover the terrorist organization’s activities, police teams determined that a suspect, who was described as a "lone terrorist" and seeking to carry out an attack, possibly as an armed suicide bombing, was found at an address in the Bahçelievler district.
The terrorist A.H. was caught during the operation at the address while two unlicensed pistols, two magazines, materials considered to be used in bomb-making, and many digital and organizational materials were also seized.
The organizational material included videos explaining how to make bombs and terrorist attacks. It was also discovered that A.H. researched previous terrorist attacks conducted in Istanbul.
In 2013, Türkiye became one of the first countries to declare Daesh a terrorist group. However, the country has since been attacked by Daesh multiple times, with over 300 people killed and hundreds more injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks and four armed assaults.
As a result, Türkiye launched operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks, including several counterterrorism operations in Syria.
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. In response, Ankara has been intensifying its crackdown on the terrorists and their links at home, conducting pinpoint operations and freezing assets to eliminate the roots of terrorist groups.
