UPDATE - Istanbul police nab suspected Daesh/ISIS terrorist planning attack in Türkiye

UPDATES WITH ARRESTS IN KAYSERI; REVISES DECK

By Emrah Gokmen and Muzahim Zahid Tuzun

ISTANBUL/KAYSERI, Türkiye (AA) – Police in Istanbul caught a Daesh/ISIS terrorist who was preparing to carry out an attack in Türkiye, security forces said on Tuesday.

Security forces found that the man, a foreign national identified only by his initials M.A., shared propaganda on the terror group’s media platforms encouraging acts of terrorism in Türkiye, especially in major tourist spots and crowded areas.

He was apprehended in a raid during which digital and other materials of the terror group were also seized, along with knives that the suspect planned to use in a possible attack.

The suspect was transferred to judicial officials and remanded in custody.

Two more Daesh/ISIS terror suspects were caught by gendarmerie teams in operations in Türkiye’s central Kayseri province.

Both suspects are Syrian nationals who were involved in the terror group’s armed activities in Syria, according to security sources.

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

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

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

* Writing by Seda Sevencan