More than 400 Islamic State suspects arrested in Turkey by counter-terrorism squads

Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Turkish counter-terrorism police detained between 400 and 450 people suspected of involvement with the Islamic State.

Authorities arrested suspected terrorists in 18 provinces, in rural provinces as well as in Turkey's two largest cities. Police detained a total of 18 people in Istanbul and 60 in the capital, Ankara. Several dozen suspected Islamic State members were rounded-up in Sanliurfa province, which borders Syria.

According to the Anadolu Agency, Turkey's state-run media, the majority of those arrested on Sunday were foreign nationals.

During the raids, counter-terrorism police confiscated Islamic State documents, an unlicensed gun and a hunting rifle. Police also collected literature by Fethullah Gulen, an imam the Turkish government blames for inspiring a failed coup on July 15, which left hundreds dead and thousands more wounded. The government has dubbed Gulen's followers as the Fethullah Terrorist Organization.

Since 2014, Islamic State terrorists have carried out several suicide bombings in Turkey. The terrorist group also took credit for a night club shooting that killed 39 people at New Years Eve party in Istanbul.