Turkey nabs 43 over links to ISIL social media groups
ISTANBUL - Anadolu Agency
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Turkish security forces detained 43 people in Istanbul for alleged links to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the provincial police department said on July 23.
In a statement, Istanbul’s Security Directorate said counter-terrorism units conducted simultaneous raids at 15 separate addresses across the city on July 20 against foreign terrorist fighters, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
The suspects were detained for their alleged links to “engagement areas” of the group and membership in social media groups linked to the ISIL, it added.
Last week, Turkish authorities announced that they detained the wife of Abu Omar al-Shishani, a senior ISIL commander killed in combat two years ago, in a counter-terrorism operation in Istanbul this month.
Shishani’s wife was one of the five people detained on the night of July 4 in simultaneous raids across Istanbul that targeted people believed to have connections with conflict zones and actively seeking to carry out attacks, police said in a statement on July 19.
Security forces have been involved in a long-running campaign to rid Turkey of ISIL militants.
More than 300 people have lost their lives in ISIL-claimed attacks in Turkey, where the group has targeted civilians with suicide bombs, rockets, and gun attacks.
Turkish police detain wife of slain ISIL ‘war minister’ Shishani
