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Turkey seizes 49 IS suspects planning attacks on referendum day

Xinhua, April 15, 2017 Adjust font size:

The Turkish police on Saturday detained 49 Islamic State (IS) suspects who were allegedly planning "sensational attacks" in Istanbul as voters go to the polls on Sunday over proposed constitutional changes, local media reported.

The Hurriyet daily said anti-terror teams had acted on intelligence tips and conducted operations for a week in several districts of Istanbul.

Forty-one foreigners are among the detainees, the daily said, adding the suspects have links to Abdulgadir Masharipov, an IS militant who shot dead 39 people at a nightclub in Istanbul on New Year's Day and was captured after 17 days on the loose.

Hurriyet reported on Friday about five IS suspects detained in the metropolis.

IS has ordered its militants to "attack the polls" in Turkey through its online magazine Rumiyah, according to press reports.

Turks will vote on a package of 18-article constitutional amendments in a referendum slated for Sunday, including one that suggests the country's switch to an executive presidency. Endit