Turkey nabs 7 al-Qaeda, Daesh terror suspects

By Halil Demir

ISTANBUL (AA) - At least seven suspects were arrested in Istanbul by security teams on Friday as part of anti-terror operations against Daesh and al-Qaeda terror groups.

Anti-terror police launched simultaneous operations at 10 different places in Istanbul against the terrorist organizations, said security sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

In several raids conducted in Istanbul's Esenyurt, Bagcılar, Fatih, Kucukcekmece, Sisli and Sultanbeyli districts, counter-terror teams arrested seven out of 10 wanted suspects.

A search for the remaining three suspects continues. Four of the seven suspects were foreign nationals, said the sources, adding digital materials and documents were also seized during the operations.

In 2013, Turkey became one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terror group.

The country has since been attacked by Daesh/ISIS terrorists multiple times, with 315 people killed and hundreds more injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks, and four armed assaults.

In response, Turkey launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.