Turkey arrests 115 IS suspects ‘planning New Year attacks’

Turkish authorities say they disrupted planned attacks during Christmas and New Year events after arresting more than 100 suspected members of the Islamic State group.

Mass searches were carried out at 124 addresses across Istanbul, the city’s prosecutor general said, with the seizure of firearms, ammunition and “organizational documents”.

Officials said IS supporters were actively planning attacks across Turkey this week, particularly against non-Muslims.

Police have arrested 115 suspects but efforts are underway to trace 22 others, an official statement said.

The prosecutor’s office said the suspects were in contact with IS members outside Turkey.

The announcement comes two days after Turkish intelligence agents carried out a raid against the group on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

A Turkish national believed to have held a senior position within the IS branch operating in the region has been arrested and accused of planning attacks against civilians.

Turkish security services regularly target people suspected of having links to ISIS.

The country shares a 900 km border with Syria, where the group continues to operate in parts of the country.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has close ties to the Turkish government, has pledged to work with the United States and Europe to eliminate surviving elements of ISIS.

The United States launched a wave of airstrikes against the group’s positions across Syria on Friday in response to the deaths of three Americans.

Two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed by IS gunmen in an ambush earlier this month.