Turkish police detain 33 people accused of plotting attacks ahead of local elections, official says

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish police detained 33 people suspected of ties to the Islamic State group who were allegedly preparing attacks ahead of the country’s local elections later this month, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Sunday.

The suspects were “preparing and searching for action before the upcoming local elections,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter. Nationwide elections are due to be held on March 31.

Counter-terrorism police in Sakarya in northwest Turkey recovered weapons, cash and “organizational documents” during raids.

“We will not tolerate any terrorists. We will continue our fight uninterruptedly with the superior efforts of our security forces,” Yerlikaya said.

The network was providing personnel for war zones and financial support for IS while operating from illegal mosques and religious schools, he said.

Turkey has suffered numerous attacks linked to IS over the last 10 years, including a gun attack on a church in Istanbul in January that left one man dead.

The group was also tied to the country’s deadliest attack, in which more than 100 were killed at a peace rally in Ankara in October 2015.