Turkish authorities detained 13 suspects in Istanbul on suspicion of carrying out activities linked to the Daesh terrorist group and spreading propaganda through social media, officials said Tuesday.
The operation was carried out by counterterrorism and intelligence units of the Istanbul police under the coordination of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office as part of efforts to disrupt and expose the terrorist group’s activities.
Authorities said investigators identified the suspects and their addresses after determining they were involved in activities linked to Daesh and were allegedly disseminating propaganda through social media platforms.
Police conducted simultaneous raids at the identified locations, detaining 13 suspects who were later taken to police headquarters for questioning.
In a separate operation in the southern province of Gaziantep, security forces arrested a foreign national suspected of links to the group.
The Gaziantep Provincial Gendarmerie Command carried out the operation in coordination with prosecutors and with support from counterterrorism units. Officials said the suspect, identified by the initials A.S., had entered Türkiye illegally and was believed to have been preparing to carry out a terrorist attack.
Investigators determined that the suspect had been active as an armed member of the Daesh between 2015 and 2017 in the Aleppo region of Syria.
The suspect was captured in the Nurdağı district, and digital materials seized during a search of the residence were confiscated for examination.
Following questioning, the suspect was referred to court and later jailed pending trial, authorities said.
Türkiye considers the Daesh terrorist group one of the biggest threats to the country’s security and peace, as the group faces nationwide raids, and was one of the first countries to declare it a terrorist group in 2013.
Officials said counterterrorism operations targeting Daesh networks and financing structures will continue across the country.
