Uzbek national suspected of planning attack on Jews detained in Turkey

An Uzbek national suspected of planning simultaneous attacks on Jewish schools and synagogues in Turkey and abroad has been arrested in Istanbul. The suspect, who entered Turkey via European countries, was exposed for his correspondence with terrorist groups and placed under surveillance.

An Uzbek national suspected of planning simultaneous attacks on Jewish schools and synagogues in Turkey and abroad has been detained in Istanbul, Hurriyet reported .

According to the information received, the Istanbul Police Department's Counter-Terrorism Department received information that Abdulmalik A., an Uzbek national believed to be a member of the Asian branch of the radical terrorist organization ISIS, was being sent to Turkey to carry out a sabotage operation. Security and intelligence units accessed the instant messaging and email networks of the suspected terrorists, gradually monitored A., and exposed coded correspondence and encrypted dialogues. The suspect under surveillance recently entered the country "legally".

It is noted that the suspect, who is originally from Uzbekistan, "has no previous convictions for terrorist activities" and therefore entered Turkey from European countries. He was ordered to carry out the attack by a key figure in the organization and was therefore sent to Turkey. It was determined that a member of the cell, who intended to participate in the actions to be carried out, was preparing to carry out attacks on some synagogues and Jewish schools in Turkey and abroad.

"It was revealed that the cell member of Uzbek nationality, who was under surveillance and was prone to committing crimes, was in constant contact with a foreign citizen with external connections for a bloody attack, and they jointly planned it. The investigation, which did not provide detailed information about the time of the attack, noted that the targets were synagogues and Jewish schools in Turkey and undisclosed countries," the report said.

A terrorist of Central Asian origin, who was arrested as part of an investigation into a suspected plot to attack a house in the Fatih district of Istanbul, was taken into custody by a court after being questioned at an Istanbul police station. His ties and contacts in Turkey are being investigated.

It was reported that a number of security measures and warnings have been taken at synagogues and schools where possible ISIS attacks have been reported.

The last time synagogues, which are centers of worship for the Jewish community in Turkey, were attacked was on November 15, 2003, when Al-Qaeda members bombed two synagogues in Istanbul, Neve Shalom and Betyaakov, in the Beyoglu district, killing 20 people and injuring more than 250.