Turkish police detained 11 foreign nationals in Istanbul on Thursday in an operation targeting suspected links to the Daesh and al-Qaida terrorist groups, according to authorities.
Counterterrorism units, working with the Istanbul police intelligence branch, launched an investigation into suspects believed to have been in contact with members of the two groups in conflict zones.
Authorities said investigators identified the suspects and their addresses after determining they allegedly shared social media posts praising the terrorist groups.
Police also assessed that the suspects could potentially carry out attacks targeting Türkiye, authorities said.
Officers carried out simultaneous raids at the identified addresses and detained 11 suspects. Police seized a knife, eight rounds of ammunition and a large amount of digital material during searches of the properties.
The suspects were taken to police headquarters for further questioning and processing.
Türkiye has conducted sustained counterterrorism operations against Daesh for years, targeting members, facilitators and financial networks both domestically and across its borders. Turkish security forces regularly carry out nationwide raids to prevent attacks and dismantle the organization's presence in the country.
Daesh remains a threat to Türkiye, which has lost dozens of citizens in attacks carried out by the group, particularly during the period when it was active in neighboring Iraq and Syria. The country has also sought to bring Turkish nationals affiliated with the terrorist group back from abroad.
