Türkiye Arrests 110 Suspected ISIS-Linked Individuals in Nationwide Counter-Terror Operation
Raids across Istanbul and three provinces follow recent surge in anti–Islamic State operations and security incidents
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Turkish counter-terrorism police have arrested 110 people suspected of links to the Islamic State group (ISIS) in a coordinated operation largely centered in Istanbul, according to state-run Anadolu Agency.
The arrests were carried out on Tuesday during simultaneous raids across three provinces under the coordination of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Authorities said the suspects are accused of supporting ISIS activities through recruitment efforts, ideological indoctrination, and financial transfers.
According to investigators, the suspects allegedly organized classes in unauthorized associations, where children were exposed to extremist ideology. They are also accused of collecting funds for the group and attempting to recruit new members.
During the raids, police seized four rifles, 90 cartridges, as well as digital materials and documents believed to be linked to the organization.
The latest operation comes amid an intensified nationwide crackdown on ISIS networks across Türkiye, where security forces have stepped up arrests in recent months following renewed concerns about sleeper cells and recruitment activity.
Just last week, authorities detained 324 additional suspects in simultaneous raids across 47 provinces, according to the Interior Ministry, reflecting what officials describe as an ongoing effort to dismantle the group’s remaining infrastructure inside the country.
Türkiye has faced repeated security threats from ISIS over the past decade, including high-profile attacks targeting civilians and security forces. The group carried out some of its deadliest assaults in Türkiye during the mid-2010s, including the 2015 Ankara bombing and the 2016 Istanbul Atatürk Airport attack, both of which killed scores of people and marked a turning point in national counter-terrorism policy.
More recently, sporadic incidents have continued to raise alarm. On April 7, a gunman was killed, and two others were wounded in a shootout outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul.
Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said one of the attackers was linked to what he described as an “organization that exploits religion,” which Turkish media reported was ISIS-related.
In another incident at the end of December, ISIS militants opened fire on police in the northwestern town of Yalova, killing three officers and injuring nine others. Six militants were killed in the ensuing gun battle, and authorities later detained more than 600 suspected ISIS members in follow-up operations nationwide.
Security analysts say Türkiye’s continued crackdown reflects both the group’s residual underground networks and the state’s broader effort to prevent re-emergence amid regional instability in Syria and Iraq, where ISIS once controlled vast territories before its territorial defeat.