A large but unspecified number of people have been taken into custody early Tuesday morning in Istanbul for allegedly being linked to the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) group, police have said.
Back up by helicopters, police raided 13 different locations in districts including Sultangazi, Gaziosmanpasa and Bagcilar.
According to police sources, the operation is ongoing and the number of the suspects detained will increase.
Founded in 1978, the DHKP-C is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the EU and the U.S.
Purportedly supporting a Marxist-Leninist ideology, it was mostly active during the Cold War era, but the group has revived its attacks in recent years.
It claimed responsibility for an attempted grenade attack in January on police guarding Istanbul's Dolmabahce palace, and recently was involved in the killing of a senior prosecutor in Istanbul in March. - İstanbul
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