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Turkey holds 5 IS suspects preparing attack ahead of referendum

Xinhua, April 14, 2017 Adjust font size:

Turkish police on Friday detained five suspected Islamic State (IS) militants in Istanbul believed to be planning a sensational attack ahead of Sunday's constitutional referendum, local media reported.

Anti-terror teams, acting on intelligence tips, launched simultaneous operations in the districts of Beyoglu, Bahcelievler and Beykoz, the Hurriyet daily said.

According to the daily, three of the detainees were believed to be planning an attack in the name of IS, while two others, including one of Tajik origin, were captured for traveling to "conflict zones" and carrying out operations for the militant group in Istanbul.

The IS is responsible for a number of deadly attacks across Turkey over the past year, including one on New Year's Day at a nightclub in Istanbul that claimed 39 lives.

The authorities have increased security measures ahead of the vote, but three people were killed on Tuesday in a bombing attack in Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey, claimed by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party.

Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said lately that over 250,000 security personnel and more than 120,000 members of the gendarmerie had been posted to ensure the security of the referendum across the country. Endit