Turkey: Five suspects detained over financing IS, al-Qaeda

Istanbul: Five people were detained in Turkey's Istanbul on Tuesday in an operation targeting individuals who use social media to solicit and redirect donations to the Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda.

The operation was conducted by the Istanbul police's anti-terror department to uncover terrorist activities and identify the financial sources of terrorist organisations, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the state-run Anadolu Agency.

Police discovered that the suspects had posted ads on social media platforms claiming to offer "winter stove and fuel assistance," "sacrificial animal assistance during Eid al-Adha," and "support for families in refugee camps."

The funds collected in both US dollars and cryptocurrency were redirected to members of the IS and al-Qaeda, including their spouses and children residing in the al-Hol refugee camp in Syria, the report said.

The camp is under the control of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party and its Syrian affiliate, the Kurdish People's Protection Units, it added.

After identifying the suspects, police launched simultaneous operations at five locations in Istanbul, capturing the suspects along with numerous digital documents.

The Turkish government designated the IS as a terrorist organization in 2013, blaming it for a series of deadly attacks in the country since 2015.

Turkey's southern border with Syria has been a major transit route for Syrians and foreign fighters since the Syrian civil war began in 2011.