ANKARA, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police arrested 34 foreign nationals over their suspected links to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in an operation across seven provinces, a cabinet minister said Saturday.

The suspects, including some wanted with an Interpol red notice, were arrested in "Cage-35" anti-terror operations carried out simultaneously in the provinces of Istanbul, Kocaeli, Yalova, Kayseri, Bursa, Duzce, and Yozgat, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote in a post on social media platform X.

Yerlikaya said that unauthorized firearms, a significant amount of foreign currency, and digital materials were also seized during the operations.

He said the suspects are accused of engaging in activities related to the IS terrorist organization.

The operations came after two masked gunmen, one from Tajikistan and the other from Russia, opened fire last Sunday on worshippers at the Santa Maria Church in Istanbul's Sariyer district, killing one person. The two foreign nationals arrested were believed to be IS members, Yerlikaya said a day later.

Türkiye listed IS as a terrorist group in 2013. The group has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly attacks in the country since then, prompting Turkish authorities to launch operations against its members.

Last December, Turkish intelligence and security forces captured a top IS terrorist in charge of the group's finances in an operation in Türkiye's southeastern province of Mersin.

Türkiye's southern border with Syria has been a significant crossing point for Syrians and foreign fighters since the war broke out in Syria in 2011. Enditem

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