Istanbul police detain 62 in ISIL operation

ISTANBUL

Police detained a total of 62 people, including 58 foreign nationals, in an operation conducted against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) at 17 different addresses in Istanbul early on Oct. 25 at around 1 a.m.

Among the detained were four Turkish citizens, determined to be in connection with areas held by ISIL. The police seized a lot of digital material and “organizational documents” during the raids. The detained four individuals were later taken to police headquarters on Istanbul’s Vatan Avenue.

The authorities also determined the detained 58 foreign nationals would travel to the ISIL-held regions to fight. The police started the necessary deportation processes for the 58 suspects.

ISIL previously staged several deadly attacks in Turkey, with the highest death toll occurring in a twin suicide bomb attack on Oct. 10, 2015, targeting a peace rally that left more than 100 people dead.

While operations against the jihadist group are ongoing inside the country, precautions taken on borders also help in preventing possible attacks.