Turkish police arrest 28 Daesh/ISIS terror suspects

By Zeynep Yesildal and Mustafa Gungor

IZMIR/ISTANBUL, Türkiye (AA) - Turkish security forces arrested 28 people in Istanbul and the Aegean province of Izmir over their suspected links to the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group, security sources said on Friday.

As part of an investigation by prosecutors in Izmir against Daesh/ISIS, Turkish police conducted an anti-terror operation to arrest 26 suspects. The suspects are accused of carrying out activities on behalf of the terrorist group in conflict zones in the past and have been acting together and meeting with people with links to the terrorist group in Izmir.

During the operation, 21 suspects were arrested, and efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining five suspects.

As part of an investigation by the terror investigation bureau of the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Istanbul, nine suspects were identified as being active in Daesh/ISIS.

Istanbul police arrested seven suspects and efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining two suspects.

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.