Türkiye arrests 19 in Istanbul ISIS raids, one suspect at large

Turkish authorities carried out operations against the terrorist organisation ISIS in Istanbul, TRT Haber reports.

An investigation by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office’s Bureau for Terrorist Crimes identified 20 suspects with links to conflict zones, TRT Haber reports.

Police conducted simultaneous raids at 21 locations across 12 districts of Istanbul. Nineteen suspects were arrested, while one remains at large.

The investigation targeted individuals suspected of having links to conflict zones, likely in Syria or Iraq, where ISIS maintains a diminished but persistent presence. Turkish police frequently conduct such raids to disrupt potential plots, with previous operations in 2025 detaining 89 suspected ISIS members across 17 provinces in April and nine in Istanbul in August, including an Interpol red-notice fugitive.

The arrests of Iranian nationals in other recent cases, such as the Balçova police station attack investigation, suggest authorities are also scrutinising possible foreign connections, though no specific foreign links were mentioned in this operation.

By Khagan Isayev