Police vehicle outside the Santa Maria church in Istanbul (Photo: AFP)
Turkish police on Friday arrested a suspected member of the Islamic State (IS) in Istanbul who was accused of planning a bomb attack, local media reported.
According to the NTV broadcaster, anti-terror units initiated the operation after discovering that the IS was plotting a terrorist attack in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city and financial hub.
The investigation revealed that the suspect had entered the country illegally after receiving bomb-making and attack training in Syria.
The suspect was allegedly acting on orders from senior IS officials who had directed him to carry out the planned attack, the NTV added, Xinhua news agency reported.
During the raid on his residence in the Bagcilar district on the European side of the city, police discovered a sword hidden under the suspect’s bed and seized many documents and digital materials related to the terrorist organisation.
The Turkish government designated the IS as a terrorist organization in 2013, and Turkish police have been regularly conducting counter-terrorism operations against its members across the country.
This post was last modified on August 31, 2024 2:11 pm