Türkiye detains 15 foreigners in Ankara on suspicion of IS links

The Turkish intelligence services detained 15 foreigners in Ankara on suspicion of links to the Islamic State (IS) group.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a tweet.

“As part of the activities carried out by the Anti-Terrorism Department of the Ankara Security Directorate, 15 foreign citizens were detained, whose involvement in the activities of the Islamic State has been established,” the minister wrote on X.

Ankara’da DEAŞ Terör Örgütüne yönelik gerçekleştirilen “KAHRAMANLAR-48” Operasyonunda Yabancı Uyruklu 1️⃣5️⃣ şüpheli yakalandı❗

Aziz Milletimizin huzuru, birlik ve beraberliği için teröristlerin hiçbirine göz açtırmayacağız. Güvenlik güçlerimizin üstün gayretleriyle mücadelemize… pic.twitter.com/cDBdb1nJS2

— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) February 1, 2024

He did not specify the citizenship of those taken into custody.

The operation was carried out against the backdrop of an emergency on January 28 in the Catholic Church of Istanbul, where two IS supporters opened fire and killed a Turkish citizen.

Some 60 people have been detained in connection with the shooting in an Istanbul church, 26 of whom have been expelled from Türkiye. Some 34 were brought to a preliminary hearing in court to choose a preventive measure. According to the investigation, militants of the so-called Tajik cell Vilayat Khorasan of the IS terrorist group banned in Russia were involved in the violence.