Turkey foils Christmas, New Year attack plots; over 100 arrested in ISIS crackdown

File photo used for representational purpose.

Turkish authorities said they have foiled planned attacks targeting Christmas and New Year celebrations after arresting more than 100 suspected members of the Islamic State group in a series of coordinated operations across the country.

According to the chief prosecutor’s office in Istanbul, police carried out mass raids at 124 locations across the city, detaining 115 suspects. Firearms, ammunition and what officials described as organisational documents were seized during the operations. Authorities said efforts are ongoing to track down and arrest another 22 suspects.

Officials said the detainees were actively planning attacks this week, with a specific focus on events involving non-Muslim communities. Investigators also said the suspects were in contact with Islamic State operatives based outside Turkey.

The announcement followed a separate counterterrorism operation carried out by Turkish intelligence agents two days earlier near the Afghanistan–Pakistan border. In that operation, a Turkish national accused of holding a senior position within an ISIS-affiliated group was detained. Officials said the suspect was involved in planning attacks against civilians.

Turkey’s security services have regularly targeted ISIS-linked networks over the past decade, following a series of deadly attacks carried out by the group inside the country.

Turkey shares a nearly 900-kilometre border with Syria, where ISIS continues to operate in certain areas despite losing most of the territory it once controlled. Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said his administration is working with the United States and European countries to eliminate remaining ISIS elements.

Turkish authorities said security measures remain heightened nationwide as investigations continue into the suspected plots and the search for remaining suspects.