ISTANBUL, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Turkish police on Friday arrested 304 people over their suspected links to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in an operation that targeted 32 cities.
In a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Yerlikaya said 86 out of the 304 suspects were detained in Istanbul and 20 in the western city of Izmir in the operation codenamed HEROES-34.
Türkiye designated the IS as a terrorist organization in 2013. The group has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly attacks in Türkiye, leading Turkish authorities to launch military operations against the group both at home and abroad.
