French couple among 112 people arrested in Turkey for IS links

A French couple was among over 100 people arrested in Turkey during counter-terrorism operations across the country targeting Islamic State (IS) suspects.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – A French couple was among over 100 people arrested in Turkey during counter-terrorism operations across the country targeting Islamic State (IS) suspects, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The French couple, among 112 other people arrested for suspected links to the extremist group over the last week, was detained on Tuesday by authorities Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport.

According to a police official, anti-terror teams “acted after they had received intelligence from a French security unit,” adding the couple were allegedly planning to join IS in Syria from Turkey.

“They will be deported after the security procedure is completed,” the police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, was quoted by Anadolu.

Meanwhile, anti-terror squads also conducted three separate operations at 19 locations in nine Istanbul districts, apprehending another 69 IS suspects.

Other suspects with links to the militant group were detained in the provinces of Izmir, Eskisehir, Kahramanmaras, Bursa, Kayseri, Sanliurfa, and Samsun.

Turkish authorities escort suspects who were detained for links to the Islamic State (IS). (Photo: Anadolu Agency)
Turkish authorities escort suspects who were detained for links to the Islamic State (IS). (Photo: Anadolu Agency)

Over 300 people have lost their lives in attacks orchestrated by IS in Turkey, including suicide bombs, rocket and gun attacks.

Turkish forces have been aggressively tracking IS suspects in an attempt to deny the extremist group opportunities to launch further attacks.

The militant group has lost significant swaths of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and Syria since its emergence in 2014, but terrorism experts warn IS’ ideology remains a threat worldwide.

“All around the world, the biggest threat, the hardest thing to deal with are small groups—one or two or three people—acting without any top-down direction,” experts said during an International Counter-Terrorism Forum in Melbourne in early December.