STORY: Türkiye busts cell suspected of providing logistical support for IS militants
DATELINE: Sept. 3, 2023
LENGTH: 00:00:38
LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of police raiding house in special operations (file)
2. various of anti-terrorism police officers taking the arrested suspects to the police station
3. photos of equipment seized during searches at the suspects' homes

STORYLINE:

Turkish police have busted a cell in Istanbul suspected of shipping military materials for the Islamic State (IS) as part of an operation against the outlawed group, Ihlas News Agency reported on Saturday.

The police, acting upon a tip-off, carried out a raid on a house of a Kyrgyz and a Syrian suspected of providing logistical support for IS militants, according to the news agency.

Police seized sniper binoculars, tactical weapon lasers, and other electronic and military materials during the search, said the report, adding the two men are believed to have direct contact with the logistical unit of the IS group.

A court in Istanbul ordered the arrest of the two suspects on charges of membership in an armed terrorist group, Ihlas reported.

The police have expanded their investigation into the two suspects' connections in Türkiye and their network of shipment of military materials to conflict zones.

Türkiye has carried out frequent operations against the IS group at home and in neighboring Syria. The IS group has launched a wave of deadly attacks on Turkish soil, including in Istanbul.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Istanbul, Türkiye.
(XHTV)