IZMIR, Turkey
Seven suspected Daesh members detained in the Turkish provinces of Izmir, Isparta and Erzurum, were sent to court Friday on charges of membership and participation in a terrorist group.
Turkish police made the initial arrests on Wednesday.
Izmir anti-terror police said that investigations into the suspects began after it received information that some alleged Daesh members, who took part in fighting across the border in Syria, had returned to Turkey.
Once the locations of the suspects were confirmed, an operation was launched simultaneously at 22 separate places in the western province of Izmir and southern province of Isparta, and in the eastern province of Erzurum, the police department added.
Police found two guns, a Daesh flag and organizational documents during the searches conducted in Izmir’s Buca and Menemen districts.
The seven alleged Daesh members were handed over to the anti-terrorism branches in the respective provinces, police said.
Turkey shares an 900-kilometer border with Syria, where thousands of foreign fighters have joined militant groups such as Daesh.
