126 planned attacks foiled in five months: Interior minister

ADIYAMAN

AA photo

Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said Feb. 12 that Turkey has foiled a total of 126 planned terror attacks, including suicide bombings, and seizing explosives and bomb-laden cars in the past five months. 

Security forces have launched offensives in suspected hideouts of outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants in the winter period and conducted 129 operations on terror shelters, he said in an opening ceremony in the southeastern province of Adıyaman. 

A total of 661 shelters in 22 provinces were destroyed in five months, he stated, adding that 8,477 suspects were detained, while 2,603 of them were arrested. 

The Turkish government had earlier appointed trustees to a total of 79 municipalities in a series of operations against them, which Soylu said they were “giving financial and logistical support to terrorist organizations.” 

Some 49 high-level terrorist group leaders were caught, while 689 terrorists were killed, he said. 


At least 3,500 suspects detained in operations 

Some 3,609 people have been detained in operations conducted by police, gendarmerie and coast guards across Turkey, security sources said Feb. 11. 

Some 2,282 of the total number of those detained in the “Peace and Safety operations,” on Feb. 11 were wanted by the police, the General Security Directorate stated.  

Security forces confiscated 81 vehicles, 91 guns, 91 hunting rifles, 80,268 packs of smuggled cigarettes, 686 smuggled cellphones, 762 liters of unlicensed alcohol as well as 103 historical artifacts. 

Around 81,000 officers participated in the operations, the statement added.