Turkey Arrests 304 Suspected Islamic State Sympathisers in Coordinated Raids

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – Turkish security forces have rounded up 304 people suspected of links to the Islamic State extremist group in simultaneous raids across Turkey, the interior minister said Friday.

Ali Yerlikaya said the suspects were detained in 32 provinces but the majority of them were in Turkey´s three largest cities, Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.

The operation, codenamed “Heroes-34,” was conducted jointly by the police intelligence and counter-terrorism squads, Yerlikaya said on the X social media platform.

There was no information on the suspects´ nationalities.

32 İlde DEAŞ Terör Örgütüne yönelik eş zamanlı olarak düzenlenen “KAHRAMANLAR-34” Operasyonlarında 3⃣0⃣4⃣ şahıs yakalandı❗

Aziz Milletimizin huzuru, birlik ve beraberliği için teröristlerin hiçbirine göz açtırmayacağız. Güvenlik güçlerimizin üstün gayretleriyle mücadelemize… pic.twitter.com/WKlpZVGMeN

— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) December 22, 2023

The militant group has carried out a string of deadly attacks in Turkey, including a shooting at an Istanbul night club on Jan. 1, 2017, which killed 39 people during New Year celebrations.

It was not clear if the latest operation was part of a security sweep leading up to the New Year festivities.

“There will be no respite for the terrorists for the sake of the peace, unity and solidarity of our beloved nation,” Yerlikaya said. “With our security force´s superior efforts, our fight will continue uninterrupted.”

His ministry posted a video on X showing images of the raids, including anti-terrorism police breaking down a door, handcuffing suspects and leading them into police vehicles.