Türkiye arrests 115 IS suspects for ‘planning New Year attacks’

Turkish authorities said they had thwarted planned attacks against Christmas and New Year events after arresting more than 100 suspected members of the so-called Islamic State group.

The capital’s chief prosecutor said large-scale raids were carried out at 124 locations across Istanbul, resulting in the seizure of guns, ammunition and “organizational documents”.

Officials say Islamic State supporters have been actively planning attacks across Turkey this week, particularly targeting non-Muslims.

Police detained 115 suspects but were still trying to track down 22 others, an official statement said.

The prosecutor’s office said the suspects had ties to Islamic State operatives outside Turkey.

The news comes two days after Turkish intelligence conducted a raid on the group on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

A Turkish national who allegedly holds a senior position in the Islamic State group operating in the region has been detained and accused of plotting attacks on civilians.

Turkish security services regularly target people suspected of having links to the Islamic State.

The country shares a 900-kilometer (560-mile) border with Syria, and the group continues to operate in parts of the country.

Syrian President Ahmed Sala, who has close ties to the Turkish government, has vowed to work with the United States and Europe to root out the remnants of Islamic State.

The United States launched a wave of airstrikes on Friday targeting the group’s strongholds across Syria in response to the killings of three Americans.

Two U.S. soldiers and a civilian translator Killed by Islamic State militants in an ambush earlier this month.