By Yusuf Soykan Bal
ANKARA (AA) – Police in Istanbul arrested five people over their suspected links to the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group, the Turkish interior minister said on Tuesday.
The police conducted anti-terror operations to net six people who were suspected of providing funds for printing and selling propaganda materials to bookstores on behalf of the terror group, Ali Yerlikaya stated on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Noting that the operations were carried out in five districts of Istanbul, Yerlikaya said: "Five suspects were caught in the operation. Numerous digital materials and $73,000 were seized.”
In 2013, Türkiye became one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terrorist organization.
The country has since been attacked by the terror group multiple times, with over 300 people killed and hundreds more injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks, and four armed attacks. In response, Türkiye launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.
*Writing by Gozde Bayar