UPDATE - 13 terror suspects arrested in Türkiye

UPDATES WITH OTHER OPERATIONS; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE, EDIT THROUGHOUT

By Cankut Tasdan and Mehmet Emin Gurbuz

ANKARA (AA) - At least 13 people with suspected links to the Daesh/ISIS terror group and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) were arrested in Türkiye, security sources said on Tuesday.

Nine were caught in simultaneous operations across the capital Ankara by counterterrorism and intelligence forces, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The suspects were found to be in contact with Daesh/ISIS terrorists in conflict zones, and a large number of digital materials and organizational documents were also seized in the raids, the sources said.

Operations are underway to nab one more suspect, the sources added.

Two more Daesh/ISIS suspects were also nabbed in an operation in the northwestern Bolu province.

In 2013, Türkiye became one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terrorist organization.

The country has since been attacked by the terror group multiple times, with over 300 people killed and hundreds more injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks, and four armed assaults.​​​​​​​

Separately, two people were arrested for suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 coup bid in Türkiye, security forces said on Tuesday.

FETO orchestrated the July 15, 2016 defeated coup in Türkiye where 251 people were killed and 2,734 were injured.

Ankara accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.