Turkey detains 115 ISIS suspects in nationwide raids ahead of Christmas, New Year

By Gul Tuysuz, Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN

Istanbul (CNN) — Turkish police have detained 115 suspected members of the ISIS militant group in coordinated raids across the country over alleged plots linked to Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Arrest warrants have been issued for 137 suspects after investigators determined that operatives of ISIS, also known as Islamic State, were planning attacks in Turkey during the holiday period, the Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement on Thursday.

“Information was found that the ISIS Armed Terrorist Organization was planning to carry out actions targeting our country, especially non-Muslim individuals, within the scope of the upcoming Christmas and New Year events,” the statement said.

“They were in contact with conflict zones within the scope of terrorist organization activities,” the statement added.

Police carried out simultaneous arrest, search and seizure operations at 124 addresses, seizing pistols, ammunition and what officials described as organizational documents. Operations to apprehend the remaining 22 suspects are ongoing, prosecutors said.

Turkey routinely steps up wide-ranging counterterrorism operations around end-of-the-year holidays, particularly since a 2017 ISIS attack on the Reina nightclub in Istanbul during New Year celebrations killed dozens of people.

Authorities said further information would be released as the investigation continues.

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