About 25 people, including 15 foreign nationals, have been arrested in Turkish cities of Ankara and Istanbul for their suspected links with the Islamic State (IS) group.
As per a report from Anadolu, the Turkish police and anti-terrorist police teams raided four addresses in Istanbul's three districts simultaneously on Sunday after they received a tip from a local intelligence agency about the presence of suspects linked to top IS leaders in Syria and Iraq.
In a similar operation in the Turkish capital Ankara, the police raided two hideout places and detained five persons, all of them being foreigners. Among the suspects were three Syrians, an Iraqi and a Chechen who had entered the country illegally.
According to the police, the suspects were planning attacks during the New Year's Eve celebrations in the cities across Turkey.
This incident comes after Turkish security forces suspended over 2,700 personnel for having suspected links with the IS group.
Turkey has been embroiled in a state of emergency since last year, as the dreaded terror organization has repeatedly targeted civilians in suicide bombs, rocket and gun attacks.