Turkey Arrests Two Suspected of Planning Suicide Attacks in Ankara

Two people suspected of planning to carry out a suicide attack in Ankara on the New Year’s Eve have been arrested by the Turkish police, Anadolu Agency reported on Wednesday.

“The suspects - identified as M.C. and A.Y. - are said to be members of Daesh who planned to attack the city’s main square, which is the scene of annual Dec. 31 celebrations,” the Turkish news agency said citing officials and using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.

Turkey is on high security alert after 103 people were killed in a twin suicide bombing in the Turkish capital city on 10 October, the worst single terror attack in the country’s modern history.

The two suspected suicide bombers “entered Turkey from Syria and were scouting the capital’s central Kızılay square and nearby bars, the location of many New Year’s Eve celebrations, for two separate attacks,” according to hurriyetdailynews.com.

Police have also seized suicide vests and explosives reinforced with steel balls and sticks for maximum damage during the raid conducted in Ankara’s Mamak district on Wednesday, the Turkish newspaper said in its English-language online edition citing a statement from Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.