At least 12 people are being investigated, six of whom are currently in prison. At the center of the investigation is a cell based in Başakşehir and responsible for the attack against the Franciscan parish at the end of January. Other operations targeting Parliament, military barracks and police stations are being investigated.
Istanbul () – An offensive by the Turkish authorities against groups linked to the Islamic State in Turkey, suspected among others of links with the attempt against a Catholic church in Istanbul at the end of January. News has just emerged of the incrimination of at least 12 people allegedly linked to the Khorasan province of the Islamic State, better known as Isis-K, part of a broader network responsible for terrorist activities in the territory. The suspects are allegedly responsible for the leadership of a local cell based in Başakşehir, a district in the European part of the metropolis, and organized a series of attacks: the Turkish Parliament, several military barracks and police stations were the targets.
The incrimination of the suspects is the result of a long investigation into the activities of Isis-K in Turkey, which also included the assault on the Franciscan parish of St. Mary in Istanbul, in which one person died. A balance contained only by the fact that the weapons used by the attackers jammed when they opened fire, avoiding what could have become a massacre due to a clear-cut attack. confessional matrixas reported to Catholic personalities.
The Istanbul Chief Prosecutor's Office launched the investigation based on information collected by the police. The suspects, six of whom are currently in pretrial detention, are accused of having received instructions from Isis-K leaders to carry out attacks against institutional premises, including Parliament, and against police and army headquarters. The center investigated, called “Darul Vefa İlim ve Amel Merkezi”, was allegedly an information exchange center for Uzbek, Kyrgyz and Caucasian members of Isis-K. These elements maintained close ties with representatives of the Islamic State in Syria and Afghanistan and planned to send recruits from Turkey to join the ranks of the militants active in the province of Khorasan.
The center, which was guarded by security units, would have been used to infiltrate its own elements or associates into various mosques, and then gather at the center for special occasions or plan meetings. There were also dormitories within the facility that housed elements from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, the Caucasus, Iraq and Egypt, who had previously operated on behalf of the Islamic State in Syria. In addition, the center provided education to about 70 boys between 16 and 17 years old, whose parents had been killed in Syria.
The investigation also allegedly revealed that, in June last year, at least nine members of a local cell met in Istanbul to plan attacks against Parliament and other strategic institutional sites, following directives given by Isis leaders in Syria. Additionally, suspect Fuad Rasulov, identified by the nom de guerre “Fuad Azeri”, allegedly provided ammunition and explosive components for the attacks, while others were responsible for raising funds to support the fight. He was detained during an operation by security units on June 20, 2022, later released on parole, and is accused of propagating Isis, recruiting members from Tajikistan, and participating in the jihadist movement's conflict zones in Syria.
The center of Istanbul, raided on July 14 last year, included classrooms, dormitories and a mosque. Their associated social media accounts, which posted in Russian, announced new class enrollments, iftar events, and requests for financial aid for vacations. This indictment provides a detailed look at Isis-K's vast network and activities in Turkey, highlighting the ongoing threat posed by the terrorist group and the efforts of Turkish authorities to counter its operations. After all, the recent attack on the Catholic Church itself underscores the group's ability to carry out violent acts on the ground.
