MARDIN, Turkey

Security forces in Eastern Turkey arrested three suspected terrorists, a security source said on Thursday.

Local police in the eastern Mardin province announced in a statement that the terrorists, who were reportedly preparing to attack the country’s cities, were detained in operations conducted in cooperation with the National Intelligence Service.

The alleged terrorists, including two of Syrian origin, had entered Turkey illegally, said the statement, adding that they were thought to have transferred arms and ammunition to the members of the PKK terror group planning to launch attacks on large cities, it added.

Police seized handmade bomb-making materials, as well as digital materials during body searches, it said.

The three terrorists were remanded in custody by judicial authorities, added the statement.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar in Ankara