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Twenty-one suspects were detained in operations in several provinces linked to investigations into financing for the terrorist organization ISIS, coordinated by prosecutors in Ankara and Istanbul.

The Ankara probe was launched after the German Embassy reported that donations raised through Telegram channels were being used to support ISIS members held in camps in northern Syria or to buy their release.

Ankara-based investigation

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office said the German Embassy passed information to the Counterterrorism Department that donations were being collected to provide financial support to ISIS members held in camps in northern Syria controlled by the PKK/KCK-PYD/YPG, or to purchase the freedom of those people. The donations, raised in German-speaking countries, were generally collected through Telegram channels coordinated from Syria.

Under the coordination of the prosecutor's office, teams from the Ankara Provincial Police Department's Counterterrorism Branch, working with the Counterterrorism Department, identified 16 people assessed to have carried out terrorist financing activities on behalf of ISIS and found to have made suspicious transactions through MASAK and HTS analyses. Two of the suspects are Syrian nationals and one is a citizen of Uzbekistan.

Simultaneous operations based in Ankara were carried out in several provinces. Of the 16 suspects, against whom judicial proceedings were opened on charges of membership in an armed terrorist organization and under Law No. 6415 on the Prevention of the Financing of Terrorism, 14 were detained. The prosecutor's office said the investigation is continuing on multiple fronts and with care.

Seven detained in Istanbul-based operation

Teams from the Istanbul Provincial Police Department's Counterterrorism Branch, working under the coordination of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, carried out work to uncover ISIS funding sources and apprehend suspects. Investigators identified suspects in a WhatsApp group who made illegal money transfers between conflict zones and Turkey, as well as within Turkey.

Transfers were found between the suspects and people and institutions named in MASAK reports as providing funds to ISIS, along with transfers involving numerous individuals processed within the organization.

Teams completed their work and detained seven suspects in simultaneous operations at 10 addresses in Istanbul and one in Mersin. The suspects were taken to police headquarters for processing.

Key takeaways

• Twenty-one suspects were detained in operations in several provinces over ISIS financing investigations.
• The Ankara probe began after the German Embassy reported donations were raised to support ISIS members in Syrian camps or buy their release.
• In the Ankara-based operations, 14 of 16 identified suspects were detained; two are Syrian nationals and one is from Uzbekistan.
• An Istanbul-based operation at 10 addresses in Istanbul and one in Mersin led to seven detentions.