Teen arrested on terrorism charges remains in custody

Twenty-two Daesh suspects, including individuals recruiting for the terrorist group, were detained Tuesday in operations in Istanbul and its neighboring province Kocaeli.

A statement released by the Governor’s Office said the suspects were attempting to go to Syria.

The suspects were detained in Ümraniye, Başakşehir, Beykoz, Gaziosmanpaşa, Kadıköy, Maltepe, Üsküdar, Pendik and Sancaktepe districts, and in Başiskele, a district of neighboring Kocaeli province.

The operations targeted “those who recruit members for Daesh, those helping militants who left the conflict zones, suspects who collected donations for families of militants and those involved in the publication of Ahid, a Daesh-linked magazine.”

Along with the suspects, police seized Daesh propaganda material, authorities said.

Police confiscated documents and materials promoting the terrorist group, reports said.

Daesh killed scores of people when the group started targeting Turkey in 2013, with attacks on rallies, Istanbul’s main airport, a popular nightclub in the city and other venues.

Daesh, which has been blamed for a string of terror attacks in Turkey over the past few years, saw a decline in membership, with militants fleeing Syria and Iraq where it once controlled large swathes of land.

Some 2,000 Daesh suspects were arrested and 7,000 others were deported in operations against Daesh in Turkey, while around 70,000 people were denied entry to Turkey over their suspected links to the terrorist group. Security forces have also foiled dozens of terrorist attack plots.

Figures show that some 18,500 suspects are currently being monitored for links to the terrorist group after being flagged at airports upon arrival.

Source: Daily Sabah