IS suspect who planned to attack Istanbul detained

Ankara: Turkish authorities have detained an Islamic State (IS) suspect who planned to carry out an attack in Istanbul, local media reported on Tuesday.

In a report, the NTV broadcaster said that during an operation at the address of the suspect, police also seized a long-barrelled Kalashnikov gun, five pistol magazines and 150 cartridges, Xinhua news agency reported.

The suspect arrived in Istanbul, the biggest city in Turkey, from the southeastern province of Gaziantep to conduct an attack on behalf of the IS, the report added, without further details.

Counter-terrorism units have recently intensified their operations against IS members in Turkey.

Earlier this month, a suspected member of the terror group was arrested in the northwestern province of Bursa for planning a suicide bombing, while six Iraqi nationals were detained in the northern province of Samsun over their suspected links to the IS.

The IS has carried out a spate of deadly attacks over the years in Turkey, in which more than 300 people were killed.