Turkey Nabs 2 Suspected ISIS Members Planning New Years Attack

Turkish police on Wednesday detained two suspected Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants who were believed to be planning suicide attacks during New Year celebrations in central Ankara, officials said.

The two men were detained in a raid on a cell house in the low-income Mamak neighbourhood of Ankara, where police also seized a suicide vest armed with a bomb, an explosive device that was fortified with ball bearings and metal sticks and placed inside a back-pack as well as bomb-making equipment, according to the Ankara Chief Prosecutor's office.

The two Turkish nationals, identified by their initials M.C. and A.Y., were being questioned by anti-terrorism police.

"They were caught before they had the opportunity to take action," the prosecutor's office said.

The private NTV news channel, quoting security sources, said the two had "frequently" moved in and out of Syria and that security officials had been monitoring their movements for the past month.

In October, two suicide bombers detonated bombs outside Ankara's main train station as people gathered for a peace rally. The attack killed more than 100 people and was Turkey's deadliest. The prosecutor's office said the attack was carried out by a local cell of ISIS.

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