Turkey arrests 17 Islamic State suspects

Istanbul, May 19 (IANS/AKI) Police on Friday detained 17 suspected members of the Islamic State jihadist group in anti-terror raids across Istanbul, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Twelve of the suspects were foreigners and were about to travel to Syria and Iraq to join IS, Anadolu said, citing police. The suspects included two minors.

Police also seized digital material and documents during the raids, which followed a probe in which investigators had put the suspects under surveillance, Anadolu said.

Friday's raids were carried out in Istanbul's Silivri, Maltepe, Bagcilar and Gungoren districts, said Anadolu.

The operation came after police detained 12 IS suspects, including eight foreign nationals, at several addresses in Turkey's southern Adana province on May 5.

Two of the suspects held that day were Iraqi nationals, five were Syrians and five were Turkish citizens.

--IANS/AKI

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