ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s state-run news agency says police have detained three suspected Islamic State group militants who were allegedly scheming a “sensational” attack in the aftermath of the killing of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Anadolu Agency said Tuesday the three, who have not been identified, were detained in simultaneous raids in Istanbul. They were allegedly preparing for a possible attack to coincide with Tuesday’s celebrations marking the 96th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish republic.
Turkey has stepped up security following al-Baghdadi’s killing in a U.S. raid in Syria. Police on Monday detained 20 foreign nationals suspected of Islamic State links in a security sweep in Ankara.
Turkey was hit by a wave of attacks in 2015 and 2016 blamed on Islamic State and Kurdish militants that killed around 300 people.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less