Turkish Police Detain 357 In Nationwide Raids Against Islamic State

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

ISTANBUL/AMSTERDAM (Worthy News) – Turkish police detained 357 suspects in a nationwide operation targeting the Islamic State (IS), also known as ISIS, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Tuesday, a day after three police officers and six militants were killed in a gun battle in northwest Turkey.

The arrests came as part of a broader Europe-wide security push aimed at preventing large-scale terror attacks during the Christmas and New Year holiday period, Worthy News established from multiple security sources.

Yerlikaya said security forces carried out coordinated raids in 21 provinces across the country.

“Just as we have never given an opportunity to those who try to bring this country to its knees with terrorism, we will never give them an opportunity in the future either,” Yerlikaya wrote on social media.

DEADLY SIEGE

Earlier, the Istanbul prosecutor’s office said police raided 114 addresses in Istanbul and two other provinces, seizing digital devices and documents believed to be linked to militant networks.

The crackdown followed an eight-hour siege on Monday in the town of Yalova, on the Sea of Marmara south of Istanbul, where police clashed with militants inside a house, officials said.

The confrontation came a week after more than 100 suspected ISIS members were detained over alleged plans to stage Christmas and New Year attacks.

Authorities said eight police officers and one other security force member were wounded during Monday’s operation, which was part of a broader sweep targeting more than 100 locations nationwide.

EUROPE-WIDE CRACKDOWN

Turkey’s arrests come amid a renewed wave of counter-terrorism operations across Europe, as security agencies warn that ISIS-inspired networks are attempting to regroup.

In Italy, police have carried out raids against suspected jihadist cells, detaining individuals accused of propaganda activity and logistical support for extremist groups.

France has stepped up arrests and house searches linked to suspected ISIS sympathizers, particularly ahead of major public events and holidays. Authorities in Germany, Belgium, and Spain have also reported detentions tied to online radicalization, financing, and recruitment efforts.

Separately, three men face the New Year behind bars after being found guilty of plotting to kill as many Jews as possible in Greater Manchester—an attack authorities said could have been one of Britain’s deadliest terror plots in years.

JURY CONVICTS SUSPECT

A jury at Preston Crown Court convicted Walid Saadaoui (38) and Amar Hussein (52) of preparing acts of terrorism between December 13, 2023, and May 9, 2024, after prosecutors said they swore allegiance to Islamic State ideology.

A third defendant, Bilel Saadaoui (36)—Walid’s brother—was convicted of failing to disclose information about terrorist activity.

Manchester was also the scene of a synagogue attack on October 2, when an attacker inspired by Islamic State ideology killed two worshipers after driving a vehicle into pedestrians, investigators said.

Three other people were injured and treated in hospital following the attack, which also involved a stabbing, police said. The suspect was later shot dead by responding officers outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue, investigators confirmed.

SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS DETAINED

Multiple individuals were arrested in the weeks that followed, including a 31-year-old man detained at Manchester Airport in late November, bringing the total number of arrests in the investigation to at least seven.

Western intelligence officials said the actions reflect heightened vigilance across NATO and European states to prevent Christmas and New Year holiday terror attacks.

Turkey has intensified operations against suspected ISIS militants this year as the group shows signs of renewed global activity.

The United States said it carried out air strikes against ISIS militants in northwest Nigeria last week in an attempt to stop the reported mass killings by ISIS of Christian.

AUSTRALIA ALSO HIT

Australian police said two gunmen who attacked a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach this month also appeared to be inspired by the group.

On December 19, the U.S. military launched strikes against dozens of ISIS targets in Syria, retaliating for an attack on American personnel.

Nearly a decade ago, ISIS was blamed for a series of deadly attacks on civilian targets in Turkey, including assaults on an Istanbul nightclub and the city’s main airport, killing dozens.

During the war in Syria, Turkey served as a key transit route for foreign fighters entering and leaving the conflict zone. Since a peak of violence between 2015 and 2017, Turkish authorities have conducted regular security operations, and the country has seen relatively few large-scale attacks in recent years.

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