Police on Tuesday launched operations in Istanbul, Bursa and another city against the terrorist group Daesh.
A total of 110 suspects were captured in operations that followed similar raids in the past few weeks against the group, which is named as the culprit behind a recent attack against police officers outside the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul.
Counterterrorism and intelligence units launched raids in several locations to capture the suspects, including those who ran “classes” for potential Daesh recruits in illegal associations, those training minors on the ideology of the terrorist groups, as well as suspects collecting funds for Daesh convicts in prisons.
Authorities said the suspects were also involved in propaganda activities and sold books and magazines promoting Daesh. In operations, police teams also discovered four rifles, 90 cartridges and a trove of banned publications promoting Daesh.
The Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul said an investigation revealed that two suspects, identified as Ishak Baysal and Tekin Ireç, assumed “leadership” of the network of suspects and organized “classes” in illegally founded associations and so-called “masjids” in Istanbul’s Sultanbeyli, Kartal and Sancaktepe districts. It is unclear if it is the same Tekin Ireç who offers audio recordings on a YouTube channel about religion. Prosecutors said the “masjids” were used to train children. The statement by the Chief Prosecutor’s Office also said that suspects collected cash from donors under the name of fitr and zakat (Islamic terms associated with charity) to aid families of imprisoned Daesh suspects.
