Turkey detains 21 suspected IS militants in raids

Anti-terror police carried out simultaneous raids in four areas, including Istanbul, the news agency said. However, the nationalities of the three foreign detainees were not immediately revealed.

According to reports, twenty one people were arrested in Turkey on suspicion of belonging to Islamic State.

The state-run Anadolu news agency reported that coordinated raids across the country had led police to uncover weapons, including hunting rifles and ammunition.

Another young man said (presumably in an attempt at irony), “because we’re terrorists!”

The group has declared an Islamic caliphate in territory it now controls in both Turkey and Syria. Turkey fiercely rejects the accusations, saying it is making every effort to secure a long border.

Turkey has detained 21 suspected members of a recruitment network which has helped ferry militants to fight with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).

IS is in Syria fighting both president Bashar al-Assad’s forces and opposition groups backed by Turkey’s Western allies.

Police detained the suspects in predawn raids on Friday in several addresses in Istanbul, as well as Sanliurfa province near the Syrian border, southern Mersin province and Kocaeli province east of Istanbul.

The country has reinforced its military presence on the volatile Turkey-Syria border, deploying tanks and anti-acircraft missiles and increasing troops.

Analysts have warned the group poses a threat to Turkey, particularly should Ankara develop a more hostile approach to the extremist organisation, and have not ruled out the potential for attacks on tourists.