Police say female foreign nationals had fake documents, wanted to attack Izmir tourist locations
Police in western Turkey arrested 11 suspected Daesh members who are linked to the deadly New Year's Eve attack on an Istanbul nightclub, a police official said Thursday.
The suspects are female foreign nationality, the official said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
Police said the women owned fake passports, false Syrian identities and wanted specifically to plan terror attacks at tourist locations in Izmir.
The women are among 21 suspects who were detained Jan. 4 by counter-terrorism officers at four addresses in the Bornova and Buca districts of Izmir.
Investigations are underway on the remaining 10 male suspects.
All 21 suspects are believed to have lived in the central Anatolian city of Konya with the suspected attacker of the Istanbul club, according to officials.
Police seized 41 foreign passports, considered fake, and 15 false identity documents issued to foreign nationals in Turkey, during the Jan. 4 operation.
At one address a GPS device was also found that police said was used in conflict areas and that Daesh members determined meeting points by positioning each other.
The suspects were in contact with Daesh in the conflict areas, according to police, and they gave the impression they had rented a house with their families and had a normal life in Izmir, where they had recently come from Konya, police added.
Night vision equipment, a sniper scope, an ammunition belt and other military equipment were also found during the raids, according to police.
At least 39 people, including a police officer, were killed when suspected attacker, Abdulgadir Masharipov, opened fire on partygoers at the Reina nightclub in the Ortakoy district early New Year's Day.
Masharipov was arrested last week on the outskirts of Istanbul.
