Arrest 22 Suspected Members Of ISIS Terrorist Group, Turkish Police Seize Guns And Binoculars

Turkish police illustrations. (Wikimedia Commons / VOA / Mahmut Bozarslan)

JAKARTA - At least 22 people believed to be linked to the Daesh terror group or ISIS were arrested in Turkey, a security source said on Tuesday.

Citing Yenisafak October 12, simultaneous operations were carried out in nine provinces after prosecutors in the capital Ankara issued arrest warrants for 14 suspects.

The suspects were active members who provided personnel and materials for the terror group, according to a statement by the prosecutor's office in Ankara.

"Security forces have managed to arrest 11 of the 14 suspects, with ongoing efforts to track down the remaining three," said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

"A large number of digital materials, organizational documents and four binoculars were seized in the raid," the source continued.

Meanwhile in southern Adana Province, seven Daesh suspects were arrested after authorities learned they had illegally entered the country from Iraq.

One more suspect is still at large and efforts are underway to arrest him, the source said. Digital materials and a gun were found in the suspect's hands, they added.

Separately, four ISIS suspects, all foreign nationals, were arrested in central Kayseri province.

"The suspects are active members of terror groups in Iraq and Syria," the source said.

To note, Turkey became one of the first countries to declare Daesh or ISIS as a terrorist organization in 2013.

Turkey has suffered multiple attacks from terror groups, with more than 300 people killed and hundreds injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks and four armed attacks rocking the country.

In response, Turkey launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.