ISTANBUL — Turkish police arrested 161 people suspected of membership in the Islamic State group during a weeklong operation, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Friday.
Yerlikaya said in a post on X that the detentions were carried out across 38 of Turkey’s 81 provinces, including the capital Ankara and the country’s largest city, Istanbul. Authorities seized unlicensed firearms, documents linked to the group and digital materials during raids, he said. The arrests targeted individuals described as active within the organization and involved in providing financial support.
The roundups took place over the seven days leading up to the minister’s announcement on Sept. 12, 2025. Turkish officials did not provide immediate details on the ages, nationalities or identities of those detained, nor did they say whether any of the suspects have been formally charged. It also was not clear how many remain in custody pending investigation.
Turkey has mounted repeated security operations against Islamic State cells and other extremist networks since the group carried out a series of deadly attacks in the country. The deadliest came in 2015, when a double bombing at a political rally killed more than 100 people. Authorities have said in the past that the group maintains clandestine networks for recruitment, logistics and finance, prompting periodic sweeps across multiple provinces.
The arrests reflect ongoing Turkish efforts to uproot militant networks that operatives say exploit migration routes and conflict zones in neighboring Syria and Iraq. Security forces have also intensified intelligence-led operations in urban centers where authorities say extremist activity has at times been concentrated.
Prosecutors typically open investigations following such mass detentions; those suspected of crimes tied to terrorism can face lengthy pretrial detention under Turkey’s counterterrorism laws. Human rights groups have previously criticized Turkish security measures for sweeping arrests and broad interpretation of terrorism-related offenses, while Turkish officials argue such measures are necessary to protect public safety.
The Interior Ministry provided the figures and seizure details; Turkish courts and prosecutors will determine next steps for the detainees. International terrorism-monitoring bodies continue to track the Islamic State’s capacity and networks in the region, as states including Turkey pursue both domestic policing and cross-border intelligence cooperation to counter militant threats.