Turkish security forces said they arrested 115 suspected ISIS operatives in 124 raids across the country for allegedly planning Christmas and New Year attacks targeting non-Muslims.
“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 from the prosecutor’s office said.
The prosecutor’s office added that the arrested individuals were involved in financing the group’s activities and spreading its propaganda. Authorities seized firearms, ammunition, and organizational documents from the suspects.
The announcement comes days after Turkish authorities reported the arrest of Mehmet Gören, a senior ISIS member reportedly tasked with carrying out suicide attacks in Turkey, Europe, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
Gören, who used the codename “Yahya,” was captured in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region and transferred to Turkey following intelligence operations, according to reports.
Turkey’s prosecutor’s office said operations to apprehend the remaining 22 suspected ISIS operatives are ongoing. Officials described the arrests as part of Turkey’s latest campaign against the armed group, which they consider the country’s second-most serious terrorism threat.
The country typically intensifies broad counterterrorism operations around the year-end holidays, particularly following the 2017 ISIS attack on Istanbul’s Reina nightclub during New Year celebrations, which killed dozens.
