Turkish police detain 26 ISIL suspects in Istanbul

ISTANBUL – Anadolu Agency

At least 26 people, including 17 foreign nationals, have been arrested for suspected links to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Turkish police said on July 27.         

Teams from Istanbul police’s counterterrorism branch carried out an operation against individuals reportedly linked to ISIL and who had been in Syria.        

The operation, backed by the Turkish special forces, raided 14 addresses in nine districts in Istanbul.        

Police seized many documents linked to the organization and digital data during the searches.

The detainees were then taken to the Istanbul police headquarters for their testimonies. 

Over 319 people have lost their lives in ISIL attacks in Turkey, where the jihadist group targeted civilians with suicide bombs as well as rocket and gun attacks all across the country.      

A bombing in Ankara on Oct. 10, 2015 was the deadliest terror attack carried out by ISIL, with suicide bombers targeting NGOs and supporters of left-wing parties holding a peace rally outside the capital’s main train station, weeks ahead of the Nov. 1, 2015 general election.