Arrest of 29 Individuals Connected to Terrorist Schemes in Turkey

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced today, Friday, that authorities have arrested 29 individuals suspected of links to the Islamic State across nine provinces. Yerlikaya noted that the suspects were apprehended during operation "Heroes-37" today due to their planning of attacks on churches and Jewish temples in Istanbul. The Turkish Anadolu Agency reported, citing security sources, that "three other suspects connected to those detained were also taken into custody during security operations," adding that the three are prominent members of the Islamic State, one of whom was planning an attack on the Iraqi embassy in Ankara. Authorities have intensified operations against the Islamic State and Kurdish fighters in recent weeks following an incident where Kurdish militants detonated a bomb near government buildings in Ankara on October 1.