ISTANBUL, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police detained 125 suspected Islamic State (IS) members in simultaneous operations across 25 provinces on Wednesday, ahead of New Year celebrations.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on his social media account that the operations were carried out by provincial gendarmerie commands and provincial police departments.
The suspects have been apprehended and transferred to police stations, according to Yerlikaya.
Türkiye has stepped up counterterrorism operations against IS in recent weeks amid intelligence warnings of security risks during the New Year holiday.
On Tuesday, police detained 357 suspected IS members in coordinated raids across 21 provinces. Earlier on Wednesday, Istanbul police arrested 29 suspects accused of spreading IS propaganda on social media.
Earlier this week, a deadly shootout between security forces and IS suspects in the northwestern province of Yalova left three police officers and six suspected IS members dead. ■
