Turkish police detain 100 suspects in raids against the Islamic State group

Turkish police carried out further large-scale operations against the Islamic State group in Istanbul and in Ankara on Tuesday, detaining more than a hundred suspects, officials said. The raids came a day after a deadly clash in the northwestern province of Yalova, where three police officers and six IS militants were killed. Eight other officers and a night guard were wounded when police stormed a house used as a hideout.

Turkiye has launched a series of operations against suspected IS cells in the past week, following reports that operatives were planning attacks targeting Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, authorities said. On Tuesday, police carried out simultaneous raids at 114 addresses across Istanbul and two other provinces, detaining 110 suspects, the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office said.

Some were linked to the militants who opened fire against police in Yalova, while others were suspected of planning possible attacks around New Year’s Day, it said.  Several of the detainees are suspected of collecting money under the guise of charity and funneling it to IS-linked networks in Syria, according to the prosecutor’s office. In Ankara, police detained 17 suspects in raids, including 11 foreign nationals, authorities said, adding that police had found digital material linking them to IS fighters in conflict zones.