Ankara, Turkey — Turkish authorities arrested 161 suspected members of the Islamic State group in a series of nationwide operations over the past week, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced Friday.
The suspects, accused of actively working within the extremist network and providing financial support, were detained across 38 provinces, including the capital Ankara and the country’s largest city, Istanbul. Yerlikaya said the coordinated operations also led to the seizure of unlicensed firearms, Islamic State documents and digital materials.
“Turkey remains determined to dismantle terrorist structures and eliminate their financial and logistical networks,” Yerlikaya wrote in a post on X, praising the security forces for their actions.
Ongoing Threat of IS in Turkey
The Islamic State has carried out multiple deadly attacks in Turkey over the past decade. Among the worst was a 2015 double suicide bombing at a political rally in Ankara that killed more than 100 people — the deadliest terror attack in the nation’s history.
Officials said the latest wave of arrests underscores the government’s continued efforts to root out sleeper cells and prevent further attacks. Security forces in Turkey have intensified counterterrorism raids in recent years, particularly as IS attempts to rebuild its regional networks following battlefield losses in Syria and Iraq.
The detainees remain in custody as prosecutors review evidence seized during the raids. Authorities have not yet disclosed whether any of the suspects were planning imminent attacks.
Associated Press
