Turkey detains two French IS suspects wanted by Interpol: state media

Turkish authorities detained 12 suspects over alleged links to the Islamic State group including two French women sought by Interpol, state media reported on Wednesday.

The suspects, including French, Syrian and Algerian citizens, were taken into custody after anti-terror raids in the northwestern Turkish province of Bursa, state news agency Anadolu said.

Among those caught were three women including the two French women who had red and blue Interpol notices issued against them, Anadolu and the private DHA news agency reported.

Some of the suspects had been in Syria with the extremist group before moving to Bursa, the agency said, without giving further detail.

Another suspect was believed to have been a guard for an IS commander.

Five of the suspects have been sent to deportation centres, Anadolu said.

Bursa is Turkey's fourth most populous province with more two million residents.

There have been a series of raids against IS suspects in Turkey in the past two weeks, especially ahead of New Year celebrations.

Earlier on Wednesday, a man and a woman were detained in the central province of Kayseri, accused of having IS links and believed to be preparing an attack on New Year celebrations after arriving in Turkey from France three months earlier.

And six foreign nationals were also taken into custody in the eastern province of Elazig over suspected ties to IS, Anadolu reported.

Four of the foreigners -- whose identities or countries of origin were not given -- were deported, the agency said, quoting unnamed security sources.

Turkey was hit by a series of terror attacks in 2015 and 2016 blamed on IS and Kurdish militants.

The last terror attack claimed by IS was during New Year celebrations in 2017 when a gunman killed 39 people in an elite Istanbul nightclub.