At least 13 detained in Istanbul raids against outlawed group

ISTANBUL

The outlawed leftist Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) group claimed responsibility for the Feb. 1 suicide attack targeting the U.S. Embassy in Ankara. AA photo

At least 13 people were detained in a series of raids targeting a wing of the outlawed leftist Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) in Istanbul.

Security forces broke through the doors of a fifth-floor apartment at around 6 a.m. in Şişli’s Okmeydanı neighborhood. Thirteen people were present in the house at the time and reportedly tried to prevent the police from entering the flat. Officers tried to use the fire escape and the roof to enter the dwelling and were ultimately forced to cut down iron fences in order to enter the house.

Forces used pepper gas on the suspects, before breaking down all iron doors of the rooms inside the house. Suspects reportedly threw away documents into a fire during the raid and chanted slogans as they hung over the window sills. All 13 inside, including six women, were detained at the scene.

Several other locations were hit by forces as well, resulting in more detentions, according to reports.

Meanwhile, seven suspects were released today in Ankara after attending hearings on accusations that they conducted acts and propaganda on behalf of the DHKP/C. Eleven people were detained on charges related to the outlawed group in previous raids, while four remained under arrest after the hearing.

The outlawed group claimed responsibility for the Feb. 1 suicide attack targeting the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, which killed one person, as well as the attacker, Ecevit Şanlı. Security forces have been intensifying the raids on locations linked to the organization since the bombing.