Turkey arrests two over suspected suicide plot: agency

Police on Tuesday arrested two men in western Turkey suspected of plotting a suicide attack, according to the Dogan news agency.

Officers found a machine gun, a grenade as well as explosives and ammunition in luggage belonging to the two men, who were detained at a bus station in the town of Soke, in Aydin province, the report said.

The pair, whose nationality and identity were not disclosed, were planning to travel to Izmir, Turkey's third-biggest city and a popular tourist destination on the country's Aegean coast, investigators said.

Turkish authorities have been on high alert since last summer following a series of attacks attributed to the Islamic State (IS) group.

The most recent, in Istanbul on January 12, killed 11 German tourists in the historic Sultanahmet neighbourhood, home of the Blue Mosque.

In October, 103 people were killed in double suicide bombings during a pro-Kurdish demonstration outside Ankara's central station. The attack was the deadliest in Turkey's history.

Long accused of complacency in the face of radical rebels fighting the Syrian regime, Turkey's Islamic-rooted government last summer joined the international anti-IS coalition led by the United States.

Ankara has also beefed up its border security to try to stem the flow of foreign fighters heading to join IS ranks in Syria, and stepped up arrests of alleged jihadists that cross into Turkey.

Photo: en.abna24.com