After a vast raid of 300 people last week, the Turkish police are continuing the fight against the Islamic State organization still active on its soil. This Friday, December 29, the authorities again announced 32 arrests. These people are suspected of being involved in preparing attacks against synagogues, churches and the Iraqi embassy.
2 mins
With our correspondent in Ankara, Céline Pierre-Magnani
Not a day goes by without law enforcement operations being announced. The arrest of 32 alleged members of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, learned this Friday, December 29, is a continuation of operations from the previous week, when more than 300 suspected members of the Islamic State were arrested.
According to AFP, these 32 people were arrested during raids by security forces and the intelligence services (MIT) in nine different cities, including Istanbul and Ankara, the capital. The information communicated by the Turkish authorities is this time more precise and worrying: it concerns cells involved in the preparation of targeted attacks against churches, synagogues and the Iraqi embassy.
Read alsoLeader of Islamic State group “neutralized” in Syria, says President Erdogan
109 victims during an attack in October 2015
ISIS had carried out a series of attacks on the ground between 2015 and 2017. The deadliest, in October 2015, left 109 victims in the heart of Ankara. Opposition voices were then raised to accuse the State of negligence. The subject was notably raised at the time of the opening of the borders with Syria to welcome refugees.
The last claimed IS attack dates back to 2017, when 39 people were killed in a nightclub in Istanbul. The new Minister of the Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, appointed last May, has also distinguished himself in recent months with the dismantling of money laundering networks and mafia gangs.