Nearly 750 IS suspects detained in Turkey raids
The number of suspects detained in Turkey in a major police operation against the Islamic State terror group over the weekend has increased to nearly 750, authorities said on Monday.
Anti-terrorism police launched the security operation against people with alleged links to IS early on Sunday, carrying out simultaneous raids in 29 provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara and the border provinces of Gaziantep and Sanliurfa.
The state-run Anadolu Agency said 440 people, including foreign nationals, were detained.
The Interior Ministry released a statement on Monday saying that a total of 748 people have been detained in the police sweep. It did not provide details or give a breakdown of the foreigners captured in the operation.
Anadolu said police seized IS documents, digital material and six firearms during the raids.
Anadolu, citing police sources, said IS was "searching" for ways to carry out a "sensational attack" in Turkey, and was actively engaged in propaganda in order to recruit fighters. It said the raids targeted suspects who were believed to be in contact with IS operatives in "conflict" zones.
Turkey has suffered dozens of deadly attacks linked to IS or Kurdish militants, and has been stepping up its anti-terrorism efforts.
Almost 450 people with suspected links to Islamic State have been arrested in Turkey #7News https://t.co/9Fwb2Qnwr8
— 7NEWS Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) February 6, 2017
IS, which claimed responsibility for a mass shooting at an Istanbul nightclub on New Year's Eve in which that 39 people were killed, claims to have multiple cells in Turkey.
The accused perpetrator of the nightclub attack, an Uzbek national who reportedly trained in Afghanistan, was detained in Istanbul about two weeks after the assault.
Officials have said they believed questioning him would lead to valuable information about the IS operations and cells inside Turkey, but it was not immediately known if the major raid was in any way linked to his arrest.
