Turkey

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish police said on Sunday they had detained 27 people with links to the Islamic State militant group whom they suspect were preparing for an attack.

Police said they had learned that the people had been ordered to carry out an attack in retaliation for social media posts that insulted Prophet Muhammad. The operation targeted addresses in 15 districts of Istanbul, police said.

18 July 2020; MEMO: The opening of Hagia Sophia as a mosque will not change anything for tourists, a Turkish lawmaker said on Friday, Anadolu Agency reports.

Veysel Eroglu, a lawmaker and the Turkish presidency’s special representative to Iraq, said there has been great excitement among Muslims and Turkish people over opening of Hagia Sophia as a mosque.

He stressed that tourists will continue to be able to visit Hagia Sophia.

18 July 2020; MEMO: Turkish security forces arrested a Daesh terror suspect of French origin wanted by Interpol, security sources said on Friday, Anadolu Agency reports.

After receiving information that a terrorist would enter Turkey from one of the conflict regions in Syria, Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and security forces conducted a joint operation in the borderline between Turkey and Syria, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

17 July 2020; MEMO: The US Court of International Trade has ruled that the additional tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on Turkish steel exports are unconstitutional. Following the court’s decision, Turkish steel exporters are preparing to claim compensation for the damages that Trump’s ruling has caused them.

ANKARA, July 17. /TASS/: Turkey guarantees to ensure the safety of information about the S-400 air defense systems it had purchased from Moscow, the head of the Turkish Presidency of Defense Industries, Ismail Demir, has said.

16 July 2020; MEMO: Turkey and Russia have agreed to resume flights between the two countries starting yesterday, Turkish transport and infrastructure minister announced.

Adil Karaismailoglu said that the decision was made during a recent phone call between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

16 July 2020; MEMO: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that the number of churches and synagogues in Turkey is twice the number of mosques in any European country.

ISTANBUL, July 13 (Xinhua) -- At least 75 suspects were detained for selling drugs in a massive anti-narcotics operation in Turkey's largest city Istanbul, the state-run Anadolu agency reported Monday.

The Istanbul Police Department Anti-Narcotics Department launched a simultaneous operation to capture the suspects in 62 locations across the city, Anadolu said.

Various guns and several types of drugs were seized in the raids backed by at least 400 police officers, it added.

11 July 2020; MEMO: After completing all preparations, Turkey will open Hagia Sophia for worship on July 24 at Friday prayer, the Turkish president said on Friday, Anadolu Agency reports.

In an address to the nation, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered his remarks on the new status of Hagia Sophia — which was used as a museum for the past decades but will serve as a mosque following a recently adopted decree on Friday.

11 July 2020; MEMO: Turkish presidency Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin denied the fact that his country is following a “[Muslim] Brotherhood” or “Neo- Ottoman” approach in its policies, denouncing the “black propaganda” launched by Gulf countries against Ankara.