ISIL suspect caught plotting attack in Istanbul

ISTANBUL – İhlas News Agency

A terror suspect linked to ISIL reportedly plotting to attack Istanbul’s iconic Taksim area has been caught in a hotel in Küçükçekmece district by police.

According to police officials, the ISIL terrorist, identified only by the initials H.S., had come to Istanbul from the southeastern province of Gaziantep.

Police began tracking him down after receiving intelligence that he was preparing to organize an attack in the country’s largest city.

The suspect was spotted on CCTV in Taksim while he was scouting the area. Security forces later determined where he was staying. They detained him at his hotel room, where police also seized a Kalashnikov rifle and five ammunition clips.

In 2013, Turkey was among the first countries to list ISIL as a terrorist group.

The country has since been targeted by the group numerous times, with at least 10 suicide attacks, seven bombings, and four armed attacks claiming at least 300 lives and injuring hundreds more.

In response, Turkey has launched military and police operations in the country and across its southern border to prevent further terror attacks.