Turkish authorities have apprehended 29 individuals suspected of having affiliations with the Islamic State group in operations spanning nine provinces, as announced by Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya on Friday. The suspects, captured in the course of “Operation Heroes-37,” were reportedly planning attacks on churches and synagogues in Istanbul, according to Yerlikaya’s statement on the social media platform X.
In a report citing security sources, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency disclosed that three additional suspects, associated with the 29 detainees, had also been arrested in the operations. The agency noted that these three individuals were senior members of the Islamic State, with one allegedly planning an attack on the Iraqi Embassy in Ankara.
Anadolu refrained from furnishing additional details regarding the suspects or the operations
.Authorities have intensified efforts against both Islamic State and Kurdish operatives in the past few weeks, spurred by a bomb detonation near government buildings in Ankara on October 1, carried out by Kurdish operatives.