Turkish authorities have detained 17 suspects in a sweeping counterterrorism operation targeting a financial network accused of transferring TL 80 million (about $2 million) to fund the Daesh terrorist group, officials announced on Tuesday.
According to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, the investigation was launched following a report prepared by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), which uncovered suspicious transactions involving 42 individuals. The report concluded that the suspects had transferred large sums of money to Daesh-linked operatives both in Türkiye and abroad, effectively financing the group’s activities.
Prosecutors issued detention warrants for 20 suspects residing in Türkiye and arrest warrants for 22 others believed to be living abroad. Security forces carried out simultaneous raids in Istanbul, Antalya, Nevşehir, Ağrı, Izmir and Kahramanmaraş provinces, detaining 17 of the 20 suspects targeted within the country.
Operations are ongoing to apprehend the remaining three fugitives.
Investigators determined that 10 of the suspects living abroad are Russian nationals, six are Turkmen, one is Tajik, one is Uzbek and two are Azerbaijani.
The operations reflect Türkiye’s continued efforts to dismantle Daesh’s support networks within its borders and eliminate the group’s global financial mechanisms. Turkish security forces have carried out hundreds of operations in recent years, detaining thousands of suspects.
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 and abroad.
