In a major crackdown on terrorism, Turkish security forces have apprehended 304 individuals suspected of affiliations with the terrorist organization ISIS. These arrests were part of synchronized operations across 32 provinces nationwide. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, speaking on Friday, disclosed that these coordinated raids, part of an operation named “Heroes 34,” were executed in 32 provinces, including major ones like Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. Yerlikaya highlighted that 86 suspects were detained in Istanbul alone.
Emphasizing the relentless pursuit of terrorists to ensure national peace and unity, Yerlikaya vowed continued efforts by security forces. He also shared footage of the security operations, showcasing police forces raiding buildings and residential apartments and detaining suspects.
This intensified campaign against ISIS precedes Turkey’s New Year’s Eve celebrations. It recalls the 2017 New Year’s Eve attack at Istanbul’s Reina nightclub by an Uzbek ISIS member, Abdulgadir Masharipov (alias Abu Muhammad al-Khorasani), which resulted in 39 deaths and 79 injuries.
In recent weeks, Turkish authorities have escalated operations against terrorist organizations, following an explosive attack by Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants near the Ministry of Interior in Ankara.
Since ISIS’s inclusion on Turkey’s terrorism list in 2013, the group has been linked to multiple attacks between 2015 and early 2017, claiming over 300 lives. Post the Reina nightclub attack, Turkey has intensified its crackdown on ISIS, leading to thousands of arrests, hundreds of deportations, and prevention of thousands from entering the country.
Recent operations have led to the capture of key ISIS leaders, arms and finance managers, and recruiters. Turkish intelligence recently arrested ISIS’s “Administrative and Financial Affairs in Sham” head, Hudhayfah al-Mawri (aka Ayub), in Mersin, seizing significant sums of money, digital devices, and mobile applications used for financial transactions by ISIS.
Following the arrest of a 9-member ISIS cell in Mersin and Gaziantep, a financial crimes investigation revealed suspicious transactions worth 1.2 million Turkish Lira to ISIS. Additionally, Istanbul’s Anti-Terrorism Forces recently detained six individuals suspected of financing ISIS.
Interior Minister Yerlikaya announced the capture of 17 individuals involved in funding ISIS in Istanbul, seizing large sums of money and digital documents. The suspects face charges of belonging to and financing the terrorist organization ISIS, with their assets frozen due to these connections.
Yerlikaya reaffirmed the commitment to relentlessly combat terrorism and its collaborators, aiming to cut off the financial resources of terrorists.
