Turkey arrests 2 Daesh/ISIS terror suspects

KAYSERI, Turkey

Turkish gendarmerie units arrested at least two people in the central Kayseri province over their suspected links to the Daesh/ISIS terror group, security sources said on Wednesday.

The Syrian nationals, who entered Turkey through illegal means and were active in Syria, were nabbed in simultaneous raids on addresses predetermined, said sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Suspects, Ali E. and Sami K., were active in the Daesh/ISIS terror group in Syria's Aleppo and Al-Bab regions during 2012-2015, the sources said.

Gendarmerie teams also seized digital materials from the residences of the suspects, including photographs of suspects holding weapons. They were also found to be active on social media for the terror group.

In 2013, Turkey became one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terrorist group.

The country has since been attacked by Daesh/ISIS terrorists multiple times, with at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks and four armed attacks, killing 315 people and injuring hundreds more.

In response, Turkey launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.

*Writing by Merve Aydogan in Ankara