According to the information published in an article of the newspaper ‘9 Eylül’ (September 9) by columnist Serdar Öztürk, special purpose units of the Office of Security of Izmir in early April held a large-scale anti-terrorist operation to identify and detain members of Daesh.
During the operation 15 people were arrested at different addresses and during a search of their apartments the police had found four rifles, documents and various materials related to Daesh.
In addition, the investigation revealed that the detainees at the request of Daesh commanders trained the newly recruited jihadists to be sent to fight in clashes. They themselves participated in warfare and engaged in the training of Savaş Yıldız, who in 2015 committed acts of terrorism at the regional offices of the Party of Kurdish Peoples Democracy in Adana and Mersin.
Eight out of 15 suspects were detained by the police of Izmir during the operation and after interrogation by the police and the prosecutor's office they were brought to court, with some having been arrested while others were released.
In July 2015, the Izmir police also conducted a large-scale anti-terrorist operation in the areas of Isparta and Erzurum on 22 addresses, where they found Daesh militants who came to Turkey from Syria.
As a result, 7 suspects were detained and questioned and later on the court sent them to prison to serve their sentences. Two of those arrested during the operation in Menemen denied any involvement with the terrorist organization as they were members of the AKP branch.
