Thirty-two suspects, three of whom are alleged members of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), have been detained for allegedly plotting attacks on synagogues, churches and the Iraqi Embassy in Turkey, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Friday.
According to Anadolu, the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) found that Micbel al-Shuveyhi, code-named “Abu Yakin al-Iraqi,” and Muhammed Hilaf Ibrahim Ibrahim, code-named “Abu Leys,” the intelligence officer for Turkey’s ISIL network, were plotting attacks on synagogues and churches in Turkey, while Iyheb Elani, code-named “Abdullah al-Jumaili,” was readying attacks on the Iraqi Embassy in Ankara.
The three suspects and 29 others connected to them were captured in an operation carried out jointly by MİT and the police, according to a statement from Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya on X.
The detentions took place across nine provinces as part of an İstanbul-based operation, the minister said.
DEAŞ Terör Örgütüne yönelik İstanbul merkezli 9️⃣ ilde düzenlenen “KAHRAMANLAR-37” Operasyonunda 2️⃣9️⃣ Şahıs Yakalandı❗
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Terör Örgütleri ve onların İş Birlikçileriyle mücadelemiz kararlılıkla devam edecek❗
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❌MİT Başkanlığı ile Emniyet Genel Müdürlüğü İstihbarat Başkanlığı ve… pic.twitter.com/xfu2gbrKT1— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) December 29, 2023
Digital materials belonging to the radical group were also seized during the operation.
Turkey declared ISIL a terrorist organization in 2013 and has been attacked by the group multiple times since then. A total of 315 people were killed and hundreds more were injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb blasts and four armed attacks carried out by ISIL in the country.