ISTANBUL, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police on Tuesday rounded up 17 suspects accused of transferring money to Islamic State (IS) members in a large-scale operation in Istanbul, local media reported.
Authorities found that the suspects were illegally transferring money between Türkiye and conflict zones through companies and individuals, the private news agency Demiroren said.
The Terrorism and Organized Crime Investigation Bureau of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's identified 20 suspects who allegedly had links with the extremist group as part of the investigation, Demiroren said. Police have captured 17 of them.
Türkiye declared the IS a terrorist organization in 2013 and began to crack down on its cells after it claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks on Turkish soil.
