Police detain 74 ISIL suspects in 23 provinces

DİYARBAKIR

Police have detained a total of 74 suspects in a simultaneous operation carried out in 23 provinces against ISIL in collaboration with the National Intelligence Organization (MİT).

The police’s anti-terrorism unit revealed in an operation carried out in coordination with the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office that the group has formed a new structure under the name of a bookstore, which is active in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Mali, Sudan, Algeria and Libya.

A simultaneous operation was carried out at 123 addresses, the bookstore’s offices in 23 provinces. A total of 74 suspects were detained during the raids, while a large number of automatic pumped shotguns, pistols, cartridges and organizational documents were seized.

Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the other 18 suspects, police said.

The intelligence study also found out that the group carried out propaganda activities to gain a base in Türkiye, formed a jihadist team and gave military training to them in Georgia.

The teams were sent to the conflict zones after training, local media reported, arguing that financial support was provided to the members of the organization in Syria and Georgia.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced late on April 30 that MİT neutralized Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, the reported leader of the ISIL, in Syria.

In 2013, Türkiye became one of the first countries to declare ISIL a terrorist group.

The country has since been attacked by ISIL terrorists multiple times, with at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks and four armed attacks, killing 315 people and injuring hundreds more.