Turkish authorities have detained 525 suspects in nationwide operations targeting the Daesh terrorist group, the Interior Ministry announced Monday.
The raids were carried out across 56 provinces including Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, Bursa, Manisa, Mersin in coordination with the police counterterrorism units, intelligence authorities, the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and public prosecutors, the ministry said in a statement.
Among those detained were individuals with outstanding arrest warrants, as well as suspects accused of previous involvement in Daesh activities, providing financial support to the group and maintaining links with foreign terrorist members, authorities said.
Officials said 88 of the suspects, identified as foreign terrorist fighters, were transferred to repatriation centers for deportation procedures.
The operations, conducted simultaneously by provincial counterterrorism units, resulted in the seizure of weapons, ammunition, financial assets, as well as organizational documents and digital materials, according to the statement.
Last week, a shooting incident near the former Israeli Consulate building in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district triggered a large-scale security response after armed assailants opened fire near a police point at the Yapı Kredi Plaza complex.
Police units engaged the attackers in a gunbattle, during which the suspects were neutralized and two officers were lightly injured.
Turkish media reports said the gunman who was killed was a 32-year-old man linked to Daesh.
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.
