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<\/p>\nTurkish security forces on Tuesday arrested more than 200 people suspected of links to the self-styled Islamic State and other groups Ankara deems terrorist organizations, prosecutors said.<\/p>\n
NATO leaders will gather in the Turkish capital Ankara for the Alliance’s annual summit next month, and the government has started implementing security measures and stepping up policing in anticipation.<\/p>\n
US President Donald Trump and the leaders of the other 31 member states are expected at the summit on July 7-8.<\/p>\n
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Last year’s NATO summit took place in The Hague in the Netherlands [FILE: Jun 25, 2025]Beata Zawrzel\/NurPhoto\/picture alliance<\/p>\n
What do we know about Tuesday’ arrests?<\/p>\n
The Ankara prosecutor’s office said that 241 arrest warrants had been issued and that 209 people had been detained.<\/p>\n
Police operations seeking the suspects were ongoing.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors said that 56 of those arrested were alleged members of the so-called Islamic Stategroup and 35 were members of the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party\/Front (DHKP-C), a communist group designated a terrorist organization by Turkey that has claimed responsibility for past attacks.<\/p>\n
Turkish media also reported on a separate operation targeting the DHKP-C, coordinated by prosecutors in Istanbul, that led to 24 arrests across eight provinces.<\/p>\n
How is Turkey tightening security ahead of the NATO summit?<\/p>\n
Turkey has long faced violent threats from several internal dissident groups and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government frequently carries out security sweeps.<\/p>\n
Last month, investigators carried out a nationwide sweep targeting Islamic State suspects, rounding up 324 people.<\/p>\n
Ankara authorities plan strict security measures for the July 7-8 NATO summit.<\/p>\n