Turkish authorities detained 125 suspected IS members in coordinated raids across 25 provinces, bringing the week's total to nearly 600. The operations follow intelligence warnings of planned holiday attacks and the capture of a senior IS figure, Mehmet Goren. A deadly shootout in Yalova left three police officers and six militants dead. Istanbul deployed over 50,000 personnel for New Year security amid travel advisories from Germany and Australia.
Turkey Intensifies Anti-IS Raids: 125 Detained in Nationwide Sweep Ahead of New Year
Turkey's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, centre, has announced hundreds of arrests of Islamic State suspects in the past week (Adem ALTAN)(Adem ALTAN/AFP/AFP)
Turkish authorities on Wednesday detained 125 people suspected of links to the Islamic State (IS) group in a series of coordinated raids across 25 provinces, officials said. The arrests are part of a wider operation following intelligence warnings that militants planned attacks during the holiday period.
With Wednesday's arrests, nearly 600 people have been detained in anti-IS operations across Turkey over the past week. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced the operation on X, saying, "We captured 125 Daesh suspects in simultaneous operations carried out in 25 provinces this morning."
Earlier operations included the detention of 115 suspects on December 25 after an intelligence tip indicated the group was "planning attacks during Christmas and New Year celebrations," Istanbul's prosecutor's office said. A subsequent round of raids the next day led to the arrest of a further 357 suspects across 21 provinces, the interior ministry added.
During a separate nationwide arrest operation on Monday in the northwestern town of Yalova, militants linked to IS opened fire on police, killing three officers and wounding nine. Security forces killed six militants after an hours-long gunbattle in Yalova, a town on the Sea of Marmara about 90 kilometres (55 miles) southeast of Istanbul.
State media reported that Turkish intelligence intensified operations after capturing a senior IS figure, identified as Mehmet Goren, in a raid near the Afghanistan–Pakistan border on December 22. Authorities allege Goren had been tasked with organising suicide attacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey and Europe.
As New Year celebrations approached, Istanbul authorities stepped up security. The Istanbul governor's office said more than 50,000 police and other officials were deployed across the city to ensure a safe start to 2026, and extensive security measures were put in place at airports, shopping centres, public transport hubs and entertainment venues.
Germany and Australia issued travel advisories urging their citizens to exercise caution in Turkey because of the "threat of terrorism." Germany's foreign ministry warned that the period before New Year's Eve is a particularly symbolic time for attacks, while Australia advised nationals to be alert in crowded public settings.
The operations recall past IS violence: in the early hours of January 1, 2017, an IS gunman attacked a nightclub on the Bosphorus, killing 39 people. The attacker was later captured and sentenced to multiple life terms. Interior Minister Yerlikaya warned those plotting strikes that they would "face the might of our state and the unity of our nation."
Key facts: 125 detained in 25 provinces; nearly 600 detained in the last week; deadly Yalova clash left three police officers and six militants dead; senior IS suspect Mehmet Goren captured on December 22.
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