Turkey detains 115 alleged IS members

ISTANBUL:

Some 115 alleged members of the Islamic State group suspected of planning attacks during the end-of-year holidays have been arrested in Turkey, Istanbul's prosecutor general said on Thursday.

His office said he had ordered the arrest of 137 people, of whom 115 so far have been detained, "following intelligence indicating that the IS terrorist organisation was planning attacks during Christmas and New Year celebrations".

Turkey shares a 900-kilometre (559-mile) border with Syria, where jihadist groups are still active.

Washington recently blamed a lone IS gunman for an attack in Palmyra, Syria, on December 13 in which two US soldiers and an American civilian died.

This week, Turkey's intelligence agency also conducted an operation on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area, capturing a Turkish national who it said held a senior role in the IS group.

At the time of his arrest, Mehmet Goren, since transferred to Turkey, was accused of organising suicide attacks targeting civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, and Europe.