Turkish authorities have arrested an Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist who plotted attacks on synagogues and Jewish schools in Istanbul, officials announced Thursday, according to the Daily Sabah newspaper. The suspect, identified as Uzbek national Abdulmalik A., is a member of the ISIS Asia branch, the report said. According to authorities, he entered Turkey legally from a European country, as he had no prior criminal record related to terrorism. Istanbul’s counterterrorism police began monitoring him after receiving intelligence suggesting he had been sent to Turkey for a “sensational” attack. During their investigation, police uncovered coded messages exchanged between Abdulmalik A. and individuals suspected of having ties to ISIS. These messages were intercepted through an email network used by individuals with extremist affiliations. Authorities revealed that a high-ranking ISIS operative had instructed him to orchestrate large-scale attacks targeting synagogues and Jewish schools in Turkey and across Europe, though no specific timeline for the attacks was disclosed. The suspect was apprehended in a basement flat in Istanbul’s Fatih district and was subsequently arrested by an Istanbul court. In 2019, a man threw a firebomb at the Beth Israel Synagogue in Izmir, Turkey. The firebomb fell to the sidewalk and did not damage the synagogue. The unidentified attacker told police that he attacked the synagogue in order to protest Israel. Turkey, which has been attacked by ISIS several times, regularly detains suspected members of the group, including many who planned attacks in the country. Related articles: Student delegation that was stuck in Turkey lands in Poland Shechem terror cell, which planned attacks, arrested Pikachu flees police during anti-Erdogan protest in Turkey 'Erdogan’s hypocrisy knows no bounds' In December of 2023, Turkish authorities detained 29 people suspected of having ties to ISIS and who planned to attack local synagogues. In February of that year, the Turkish intelligence agency busted a network of 15 ISIS operatives, who allegedly planned to carry out terrorist attacks against the embassies of Sweden and the Netherlands in Istanbul.
