Turkish police carried out major raids across the country on Tuesday, detaining 357 people suspected of links to the Islamic State (IS), the interior minister said. The operations came just a day after a deadly encounter in Yalova province, where three police officers and six IS militants were killed. Eight other officers and a night guard were injured when police stormed a house used as an IS hideout.
Authorities said the recent wave of raids follows intelligence suggesting IS operatives were planning attacks during Christmas and New Year’s celebrations. On Tuesday, police conducted simultaneous operations in 21 provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara, and Yalova. Earlier, the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office reported that 110 suspects had been held in raids on 114 addresses.Several detainees are believed to have collected money under the guise of charity and channelled it to IS networks in Syria.Police said digital materials recovered from the raids connected the suspects to IS fighters in conflict zones.IS has a history of deadly attacks in Turkey, including the 2017 Istanbul nightclub shooting during New Year celebrations, which killed 39 people.
