Dec. 29 (UPI) — Turkish police have detained about 75 people with suspected ties to the Islamic State terror group in a series of dawn raids, designed to prevent a repeat of last year’s New Year’s Eve attack.
The raids in Ankara and Istanbul came after warrants were issued for a number of suspects, some who are believed to have been preparing terror attacks for the New Year’s Eve celebrations.
During last year’s attack, 39 people died when a militant opened fire at a nightclub on the Bosphorus.
This year, street celebrations have been canceled across Istanbul over security concerns.
Security measures have been tightened in preparation of the festivities with street closings for traffic and citizen checkpoints. In Ankara, almost 1,000 security personnel will be in place, officials said.
About 37,000 police and 4,000 gendarmerie officers will be deployed in Istanbul for Sunday night, and police are not allowing heavy vehicles into the area as part of the security measures.
